Authors: O.S. Misnikov, K.Y. Zhenikhov

Title of the article: Basics of all-season, small-scale peat harvesting technology with post-drying at the processing site

Year: 2026, Issue: 2, Pages: 4-30

Branch of knowledge: 2.8.8 Mining machines, geotechnology (engineering)

Index UDK: 622.331

DOI: 10.26730/2618-7434-2026-2-4-30

Abstract: The paper justifies the need to develop all-season peat extraction technologies for the exploitation of its reserves in previously developed peat deposits. A brief analysis of technologies used in the peat industry is presented, noting the shortcomings of the milling method of extraction at previously developed deposits. The essence of an all-season, small-scale peat extraction technology is described, which involves drying the raw material to the target moisture content at the processing site. The technological process is divided into two independent stages. The first stage involves the extraction of peat raw material at operating moisture content (w_e ≈ 84…88%) followed by its dewatering using gravity, evaporation, and winter freezing methods. In the second stage, carried out in the spring, the peat pile is shaped into a trapezoidal form; loosening it primarily with agricultural equipment; and stacking the peat crumbs into piles. An increase in the volume of per-cycle harvests and the number of cycles compared to traditional extraction technologies is justified. Recommendations are provided for the use of mechanization, operational schemes for extraction equipment have been developed, and timelines for technological operations have been established. When the recommended technological parameters are followed, seasonal yields of milled peat for agricultural use can reach 5,000 metric tons per hectare, which is approximately 2.5 times higher than when using traditional technology under otherwise equal conditions.

Key words: milled peat extraction all-season technology gravity dewatering freezing loosening post-drying harvesting stacking

Receiving date: 01.03.2026

Approval date: 15.06.2026

Publication date: 27.08.2026

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