SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


Table 2. Proportions of the Organic soils of the Everglades Agricultural
 Area falling into categories based on thickness (after Snyder,
 1978).
 YEAR 0 to 1 ft. 1 to 3 ft. 3 to 5 ft. over 5 ft.
 1912 0 1 3 95
 1925 1 3 7 89
 1940 1 7 14 85
 1950 2 7 28 78
 1960 4 12 28 55
 1970 11 16 41 45
 1980 17 28 41 14
 1990 27 28 39 7
 2000 45 42 9 4



 MINING TECHNOLOGY

 by
 Kenneth M. Campbell

 Mining Methodology Associated with the Use of Peat for Fuel

 Recently, several potential commercial users have been investigating
Florida's peat as a fuel source. This interest is prompted by the rising
cost of traditional fuels. Preliminary proposals for the use of peat as a fuel
in Florida suggest that peat will be air dried and burned directly. This
usage will require comparatively large amounts of peat which must be
dried before it is burned (this drying is in addition to the moisture reduc-
tion which accompanies bog drainage) (U.S. Department of Energy,
1979). The drainage of a peatland is an integral and necessary first step
in any large-scale peat mining operation utilizing milled peat or sod peat
mining methods. Moisture must be reduced to approximately 90 percent
for the bog to be considered workable (i.e., able to bear the weight of
machinery).
 Drainage is accomplished by construction of a system of ditches and
waterways which are designed to capture water and route it away from
the portion of the bog to be mined (U.S. Department of Energy, 1979). If
surface streams traverse the bog, they are diverted around it. Eventually,
surface vegetation and stumps must be removed.
 There are several mining methods in common use in Europe. The man-
ual method is one in which peat is cut into blocks by hand, removed from
the bog for air drying and finally burned for home heating and cooking
(U.S. Department of Energy, 1979). Manual peat harvesting is labor
intensive and probably will not become important in Florida.
 The sod peat mining method is one in which a trench is cut into a
previously prepared field. These trenches are cut by excavator/
macerators which are specifically designed to cut, macerate, and