№82-9

Evolution of peat use for energy needs: from palaeolithic fires to 21^st century biorefining

V. Ishkov^1,2,          https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3987-208X

К. Kolchev¹,          https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1345-8646

O. Dreshpak¹,       https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1019-4382

Ye. Kozii^2,3,           https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2167-6224

V. Mandrikevych¹  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3998-820X

¹ Dnipro University of Technology, Dnipro, Ukraine

² Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics named by M.S.Polіakov of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine

³ Technical University "Metinvest Polytechnic",Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

Coll.res.pap.nat.min.univ. 2025, 82:107-119

Full text (PDF)

https://doi.org/10.33271/crpnmu/82.107

ABSTRACT

Purpose. The aim of this work is a comprehensive analysis of the centuries-long evolution of peat utilization technologies for energy needs – from ancient times to modern biorefining concepts – and an assessment of its prospects in the context of the bioeconomy and decarbonization.

Methodology. The research is based on a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach combining data from archaeology, history of technology, chemical technology, and ecology. Historical-genetic, comparative-technological, systemic analysis, and technical-economic methods were used. The source base consisted of archaeological reports, historical and ethnographic sources, modern scientific and technical literature, and reports from international organizations.

Results. The key stages of evolution have been established: from the use of peat by Neanderthals in the Paleolithic, through its role as a basic local fuel in agrarian societies, to the industrialization of extraction (milled peat, briquetting) in the 19th-20th centuries, and the transition to deep processing in the 20th-21st centuries. The latter stage includes the development of composite fuels (peat-coal mixtures, peat-water-coal slurries, peat-waste briquettes), thermal methods (pyrolysis, gasification, carbonization), and biotechnologies (anaerobic digestion, production of humic substances). The unique position of peat as a "slowly renewable" resource with a dual environmental role has been determined: significant CO₂ emissions during combustion, but potential for stabilizing bioenergy processes and integration into the circular economy under conditions of rational management and peatland restoration.

Scientific novelty. lies in the implementation of a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the history of peat energy. For the first time, a single line of evolution of peat use technologies – from Paleolithic fires to modern biorefining concepts – has been traced within one study, revealing stable patterns and technological paradigms of its development.

Practical significance. The research results provide a systematic basis for developing balanced regional programs for the use of peat resources. The article materials can be used by government authorities and energy companies to formulate strategies, by research organizations to determine priority areas for developing new processing technologies, and in the educational process for training specialists in the field of bioenergy and rational environmental management.

Keywords: peat, energy history, fuel, thermal processing, biotechnology, renewable energy sources.

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