Eksploatacja torfu metodą frezerową

W artykule, na tle krótkiego zarysu zmian ram organizacyjnych przemysłu torfowego w Polsce, przedstawiono metodę frezerową eksploatacji torfu wysokiego. Omówiono niezbędny zakres robót przygotowawczych i udostępniających, uwarunkowania technologiczne eksploatacji kopaliny, zastosowany sprzęt i urządzenia. Zwrócono również uwagę na zagrożenia związane z wydobywaniem torfu tą metodą eksploatacji.

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As of the beginning of 2002, peat harvesting has been regulated by the amended provisions of the Geological and mining law. The new legal reality was unfamiliar for the entire peat harvesting industry. At the same time, the milling technique used in harvesting high-deposit peat, characteristic for this industry only (its application conditions, equipment and devices used) were a novelty for the mining supervision staff. High-deposit peat is extracted using the so-called milling technique. Preparatory and uncovering works consist in logging all trees and cutting all underbrush and removing the topsoil. After that, the deposit is drained using dedicated drainage ditches routed among peat harvesting fields. The process of extracting peat is arbitrarily divided into four stages/ operations: milling, drying, preparation for harvesting and peat harvesting. At the milling stage, a peat layer of about 15-40 mm is separated from the deposit. At the stage of drying, the overall humidity of the peat is lowered to approx. 50-60% or approx. 40-45%. Preparation for harvesting consists in collecting the peat on small piles (so-called stacks) surrounding the extraction fields. Dried peat is collected using a machine with scooping baskets or by sucking peat into a tank. Peat harvesting using the milling technique involves certain hazards, especially the fire hazard.