EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PEAT IGNITION FROM UNEXTINGUISHED CIGARETTE BUTTS IN DRAINED BOGS IN THE BOREAL FOREST ZONE
G. V. Kuksin1, L. A. Kryuchkovskaya1, S. V. Zalesov2
1Wildfire Prevention Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
2Ural State Forest Engineering University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
Keywords: ignition sources, cigarette butts as a cause of fires, spontaneous combustion of peat, peat fires, drained peatlands, fire prevention
Abstract
The article presents the results of experiments conducted in order to establish the potential possibility of ignition of peat with 10 % moisture content from cigarette butts. The results showed that peat did not ignite from cigarette butts in the absence of wind. Wind velocity was the key factor that influenced the possibility of peat ignition from a cigarette butt. Ignition probability of cigarette butts was 10 % when the wind velocity was 1 m/s. As the wind velocity increased, ignition probability grew accordingly: 27 % of all experiments ended with peat ignition when the wind velocity was 1.5 m/s, and 50 % of experiments ended with peat ignition when the wind velocity was 2.5 m/s. During the process of peat ignition the cigarette filters burned completely, which prevents using filters as the evidence in order to investigate the cause of peat fires. The results showed that the arenation of the peat surface at the rate of 2.5 kg/m2 prevented peat ignition from cigarette butts. Thus, the arenation of those drained peatlands sites where popular camping and smoking areas as well as hunting, fishing, mushroom and berries foraging routes are located can significantly reduce peatlands fire hazard and therefore can be used to develop fire prevention measures.
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