Peat extraction in Ukraine: feasibility of peatland restoration

Taking into account Ukraine’s urgent need for energy independence and the possibility of finding alternatives to gas energy, peat is one of the sources that can be used by consumers as fuel and for space heating in winter. 

However, this method can only be implemented if this mineral is used rationally, in particular, if it is extracted properly, taking into account peat deposits and ensuring mining and biological reclamation of the deposits. This, in turn, will reduce negative consequences, including the occurrence of massive fires.

Where is peat mined in Ukraine?

About 500 peat deposits have been explored in Ukraine. About 81% of peat extracted in Ukraine is used as fuel, and the remaining 19% is used as fertilizer. In particular, peat pots for growing seedlings, peat biological fertilizers, packaged peat, and gardening kits (a mixture of peat and soil) are produced. Ukraine exports peat products in small volumes, mainly as fuel, and imports certain types of peat.

However, the exploration of peat deposits can significantly increase peat production in Ukraine for fuel, organic fertilizers and livestock bedding. 

Peat has been used in Ukraine since ancient times, and later, with the onset of the oil and gas boom, it was almost forgotten. According to official data, the geological reserves of this mineral amount to 2.04 billion tons, and the total area of peat deposits is about 1 million ha. The largest volumes of peat are extracted in Ukraine in Volyn, Rivne and Chernihiv regions. Peat is also extracted in the Lviv, Zhytomyr and Sumy regions.

*map of peat deposits in Ukraine. Geological Investment Group.

As for the approval of peat extraction, in Ukraine this process is carried out in accordance with the current legislation. In particular, it is necessary to obtain a permit for the use of subsoil for peat extraction (according to the Subsoil Code of Ukraine, a permit is required if the depth of development is more than 2 meters).

Benefits and pricing of peat.

Among main advantages of peat the following: 

• positive impact on the soil, in particular, it improves its overall quality and reduces nitrate levels.
• wet raw materials have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store carbon.

Nevertheless, peat and its place in the ecosystem are underestimated in Ukraine and in most countries of the world. Compared to the cost of other fuel sources, the price of the finished product, namely a fuel briquette, is much lower. Therefore, coal and peat extraction in Ukraine remains relevant today.

Despite the specific calorific value and price per ton of raw material, which is almost at the same price level as popular fuels such as coal and wood pellets, Ukraine’s peat reserves are quite large. Taking into account the fact that most of the coal reserves are concentrated in the eastern part of Ukraine, which is temporarily occupied, the feasibility of peat extraction is rising.

Saving peatlands with the participation of rural communities.

Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have a clear vision of the strategy for peat deposits management. As an example, we cite the experience of other countries around the world that have positive experience.

Given the important role of peatlands in carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, water management, and livelihoods, the Indonesian government has established the Indonesia Peat Restoration Agency (BRG). The agency’s main task is to prevent land fires, including some peatlands. Moreover, it aims to restore more than 2.6 million ha of forests and peatlands destroyed by fires.

The BRG is restoring degraded peatlands where agribusiness has drained layers of wetland vegetation, making it vulnerable to fires that are very difficult to stop. It is extremely important to monitor the groundwater level in peatlands to check the progress of their restoration.

The Agency’s program aims to restore peatlands while improving education, raising awareness, strengthening institutional and local capacity, and supporting environmentally sustainable livelihoods that utilize peatland-grown goods.

As part of this, the charity UNOPS is partnering with BRG and Kemitraan, both national NGOs, to support communities at the forefront of peatland restoration and conservation, which is critical to the program’s success. The program assists village authorities in developing medium-term village development plans and budgets that include peatland restoration activities. This further strengthens cooperation between villages and supports economic empowerment, local knowledge and the readiness of the rural community to prevent and manage peat fires.

This program is one of several that are helping to improve the condition of peatland wetlands by promoting alternative peat-based activities that are environmentally sustainable to ensure that communities thrive while peatlands are restored. Over time, similar efforts across the country will simultaneously reduce devastating peatland fires and protect our planet, leading to tangible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

How to preserve peat deposits and restore fields: analysis of other countries’ experience.

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions from damaged peatlands and carbon reductions from peatland restoration are subject to national accounting. Governments may therefore wish to include peatland restoration and rewetting in their national climate action plans. Long-term and concerted action to meet the Paris Agreement’s emissions reduction targets can prevent temperatures from rising to the critical 2° threshold.

A key question about peatland restoration efforts around the world is how well they can slow down greenhouse gas emissions from mires.

In the UK, 10 million tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every year through damaged peatlands. The team of researchers tested a method of monitoring bog breathing using satellite measurements – specifically synthetic aperture interferometric radar (INSAR): at 22 sites over 18 months and found that wet mossy peat in good condition – the least likely source of carbon – rises in mid-winter and falls in mid-summer. Drier, shrubby peat, which is more likely to release carbon, rises in late spring and falls in late summer.

It is also worth to consider that in their naturally wet state, peatlands provide irreplaceable natural solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation, including regulating water flows, minimizing the risk of floods, droughts and preventing seawater intrusion. Wet peatlands lower the ambient temperature of surrounding areas, providing shelter from extreme heat, and are less likely to burn during forest fires, which in turn helps to preserve air quality. In general, rewetting has a net benefit for the climate. Rather than aiming to turn the world’s peatlands into carbon sinks, a more realistic near-term goal is to make the bogs carbon neutral.

Peatland restoration is one of the key ways to overcome the climate catastrophe. For example, Scotland, which in April became the first country to declare a state of climate emergency and intends to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, says Jack Riley, a tropical peatland ecologist and board member of the International Peatland Society based in Jyväskylä, Finland.

A rather interesting experiment was launched in Greater Manchester County in the UK. Nowadays, there are areas of drained peat bog, which is a source of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Scientists have planted 85,000 celery seedlings in these areas and hope to achieve a positive result in the reclamation of the disturbed land. According to the Evening News, 12% of the UK’s land area is peat bogs, which contain large amounts of carbon. However, when peatland development is stopped and the site is left drained, carbon evaporation continues as a result of technological work. From all the drained peatlands in the UK, annual greenhouse gas emissions amount to 18.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This amount is equivalent to the emissions from the operation of almost 4 million cars per year, or 5 coal-fired power plants. The solution to this problem is to flood the degraded area and use it for agriculture, which will help preserve the local ecosystem.

Typically, former peatlands are used for pastures or potato farming, but scientists believe that celery may be the crop that will produce the best results. The Manchester research pilot project will last for three years. The studies that preceded it showed an 86% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compared to the data on peatland rewetting areas that were converted to cattle pasture.

The fundamental problem is that large-scale peatland restoration is taking place in only a few places, the researchers say. In fact, the total area of peatlands in the world is declining as swamps in the tropics continue to be drained and land converted to other uses. If this continues, the carbon released from peatlands will contribute to a global temperature increase of 1.5-2 °C above the pre-industrial level set by the Paris Agreement.

Generally, the less disturbed a peatland is, the faster it can usually be restored. For example, peatlands can be restored at low cost in a few weeks using simple methods and with the help of volunteers if the peatland is slightly disturbed. More seriously damaged ones can take decades and millions of dollars to restore, as is the case in Indonesia. Delay increases the risk that restoration will not be completed after the extraction is complete. All former extraction sites can be restored to provide some biodiversity benefit, including those where all peat has been removed.

Peatland hydrology can recover within weeks after ditch blocking or other rewetting methods, while plants can take several years or decades to recover, depending on how much the vegetation has degraded and its type.

Peatlands in their natural state have many benefits for people and nature. Re-wetting (re-wetting, re-naturalization, rehabilitation, restoration) of peatlands up to 40 cm is a great success in terms of the fight to normalize and mitigate the effects of climate change (the amount of peat exposed to oxidizing conditions is reduced, and thus emissions into the atmosphere are reduced), biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.