Characterization of Peat Samples by Diffuse Reflectance FT-IR Spectroscopy

Abstract

A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of Sphagnum peat, Carex peat, and mixtures of these peat types is reported. Intensity values from selected wavenumber regions of the infrared spectra were correlated with calorific value, degree of decomposition, carbon, and nitrogen content, and content of amino acids and amino sugars, with the use of the method of partial least-squares modelling with latent variables (PLS). The application of this method is shown to give valuable information about properties of peat which have no easily measured quantitative relationship to the infrared spectrum.