The Relationship Between the Wood Biomass and the Formation of Coals

The present study proved a similarity between wood, as renewable resource, and peat/brown coals as fossil fuels, all three being important sources of energy. The study was done in the oligotrophic peat pond Poiana Stampei, an important bog in the Dornelor Depression located in North West Romania. A floristic survey on herbaceous and woody species was done. Peat samples and dead branches from the six woody species were taken. The calorific capacity of the wood was determined using the Bomb Calorimeter (Model-IKA C2000), the carbon content was measured with a CE Instruments EA-1110 CHNS-O dispositive. The carbon content of wood, approximately 50%, is higher than that of peat, which does not exceed 40%; it being able to grow in favorable conditions for the fossilization process, the concentration in the wood in the organic matrix of the peat being 58%. The calorific value of wood (21,149 ± 1976 Kj/kg) is higher than that of peat (14,350 Kj/kg) and closer to that of lignite (28,470 Kj/kg). Carbon-enriched wood represents an alternative solution to brown coals, which are non-renewable resources.