Convenient, Accurate & Efficient

With this RFID solution, it will be easy to manage the peat extraction asset management.

Thanks to this technology it can be easily done by a single employee who will use the RFID reader that may be installed on a handled computer to track the tagged goods of the whole warehouse in real-time.

What the GAO RFID Peat Extraction Asset Management System Tracks

Our RFID system can track all peat extraction facility assets, including:

• Two Head Vacuum Peat Harvesters
• Harrows
• Root and Stump Picker
• Loading Ramps
• Peat Trailers
• Net Weight Scales
• Open Mouth Baggers
• Valve Bag Sealers
• Robotic Case Baggers
• Robotic Palletizerss
• Belt Conveyors
• Stacks of peat pallets
• All other assets your peat extraction facility may utilize

An RFID tag is to be attached to the corresponding asset which will then be read by a portable RFID reader held by an employee within the tag range and in real-time.

The Peat Extraction Industry

Peat, often used as a fossil fuel and in fertilizers, is one of the most popular substrates of plant origin. Taking the form of soil with a coarse structure and a spongy appearance, peat is formed in marshy areas through the accumulation of organic material, such as plant residue and animal & insect remains. These materials, unable to achieve complete decomposition due to lack of oxygen, slowly transform into peat, which settles on the bottom. The peat bogs take the place of lakes and marshes that, over the millennia, fill up due to the slow, but unstoppable, accumulation of peat. As the level of peat increases, the volume of water is reduced, until the entire body dries out completely. It has been calculated that the accumulation of peat is about one millimeter per year until it reaches the thickness of a few meters over centuries. With that said, more than 50% of the planet’s wetlands are made up of peat, while peat bogs total around 3% of the land emerged.

Peat deposits are found in various parts of the world, including North America, especially in Canada, the U.S. states of Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, and parts of California. The Okefenokee swamp stretches between the two American states of Georgia and Florida and is one of the largest blackwater peat bogs in North America. A geological relic of a Pleistocene estuary, the swamp formed in the last 6500 years as peat accumulated in the shallow basin at the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal heath. This bog is filled with quality pea, which is composed of at least 90% organic material, while the presence of ashes must not exceed 3-4%

Peat is used in a variety of fields, including fossil fuel consumption, metallurgy, gardening, and even cosmetics. In countries where it is particularly present, such as Ireland’s rural and wood-poor areas, peat is used as the main source of fuel in the kitchen and for heating, even if its fire produces more smoke and less heat than wood. Peat is the organic component of almost all soil used in potted plants and general gardening. With low fertilizing agent content, such as phosphorus and potassium, peat makes the soil less compact, improving its draining, aeration, and oxygenation, along with preserving its water retention capacity. Peat deposits have use in the field of metallurgy; iron peat can be used to produce metallic products by burning and collecting the iron stored within the peat. Peat also contains acids that can be absorbed into the skin and increase metabolism, leading to its use in the cosmetic industry.

To carry out the peat extraction process, it is necessary to create a suitable extraction site, which includes a drainage systems and water supply for fires, peat fields suitable for extraction technology, power lines, access roads, and other facilities necessary to the operation. The facilities are equipped with specific machinery, such as valve bag sealers, robotic case bagger, robotic palletizers, and belt conveyors. Peat is sold in bales of various sizes and is distinguished by color, blond, dark, or black peat, and the grain of the peat. The peat is extracted manually with peat spades which allow easy collection and stacking, after a short drying process, the peat is stored in standardized 40-50 cm long loaves. The process begins with the surface layer, consisting of soil and roots, being removed and temporarily set aside until the peat is removed. The peat is then extracted and left scattered on the surrounding soil for a first drying phase, a process that may take several months, depending on the temperature and season. Once the peat has been extracted, the surface layer is returned to help restore the vegetation in the area. Once dried, the peat pallets are stacked and transferred to their final destination to be used as fuel or advanced down the supply chain for further processing.