A study of the influence of modifying iron and aluminum chloride additives on the water-absorbing capacity and thermal stability of peat

The influence exerted by modifying additives of inorganic nature on the hydrophilicity of peats from the Orlovskoe deposit in Tomsk oblast and on their thermal stability was studied. The acid-base, equilibrium, and kinetic properties of the starting peat samples and those modified with solutions of iron(III) and aluminum chlorides were examined. Their physicochemical parameters were determined: total exchange capacity, acidity by acid and basic groups, relative humidity, distribution coefficients, effective diffusion coefficients, and activation energy. The effect of modifying cations on the thermal decomposition of peat was analyzed.