Effect of structuring on the density of the liquid in colloidal capillary porous bodies

A method has been developed for calculating the density of the liquid in peat being dried, and liquid density data have been obtained for the first time for peat specimens differing in dispersity and for different drying temperatures. These data are at variance with the tabulated data for the corresponding structuring periods. Unprocessed and slightly processed peat specimens are characterized by smaller density values. High densities are observed for profoundly processed peat. The liquid density as a function of temperature passes through a maximum. At temperatures above the hydrogen bonding manifestation limit, the interaction between elements of the wet peat body is mainly due to the molecular van der Waals forces. The porosity of peat varies with temperature in both structuring periods. There is a discrepancy between the density data obtained using the conventional approach and those obtained by the method suggested here. The data coincide only for the first structuring period, when the moisture content is fairly high, because of the insignificant structuring effect of the solid phase.