Recent Progress in Indonesian Peat Utilization Research

Indonesian peatland is considered to be tropical peat swamp forest and is the typical landcover in wetlands. These peat resources are classified as tropical peats. Indonesian peat formations are the fourth largest in the world. Indonesian peatlands and peat swamp forests cover 165,000-270,000 km2 and the carbon resource is about 46 Gt. In the period 1997-2006, the CO2 emissions from peatland fires in Indonesia were several times those attributable to peat decomposition in drained peatland areas: from 1400 Mt/y to possibly as much as 4300 Mt/y. The utilization of peat for energy, as an immature fuel, entails several problems, including the very high moisture content in natural deposits (80%-90%) and the high oxygen content of the organic material (30%-40%). A better understanding of the very unique behavior and properties of tropical peat will facilitate the development of alternative ways of utilizing these resources in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.