Properties of a tropical sapric peat soil in Sarawak

I. A. Afip, . and K. Jusoff, . Properties of a tropical sapric peat soil in Sarawak. pp. 1-12. ISSN 1394-7990

Knowing peat characteristics and its microstructure is of grave importance to agriculturists engineers and developers. This paper aimed to determine the degree of humification of tropical peat in the state of Sarawak Malaysia. The peat under study was extracted from Sarawak and the degree of humification was determined based on its physical properties. Data was collected using seven parameters based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and British Standard (BS) method while peat assessment was done using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micrograph of peat shows colloidal granular particles with no visible hollow cellular connections. Our findings show that the peat index properties reflect the effect of decomposition and influence of fabric composition on its geotechnical properties. The degree of humification was successfully identified as H7. This implies that the peat sample is highly decomposed in the subsurface. Further research using X-Ray diffraction should be able to correlate the degree of humification with the shear strength of the peat to obtain a better understanding of peats microstructure.

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Abstract

Knowing peat characteristics and its microstructure is of grave importance to agriculturists engineers and developers. This paper aimed to determine the degree of humification of tropical peat in the state of Sarawak Malaysia. The peat under study was extracted from Sarawak and the degree of humification was determined based on its physical properties. Data was collected using seven parameters based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and British Standard (BS) method while peat assessment was done using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micrograph of peat shows colloidal granular particles with no visible hollow cellular connections. Our findings show that the peat index properties reflect the effect of decomposition and influence of fabric composition on its geotechnical properties. The degree of humification was successfully identified as H7. This implies that the peat sample is highly decomposed in the subsurface. Further research using X-Ray diffraction should be able to correlate the degree of humification with the shear strength of the peat to obtain a better understanding of peats microstructure.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Peat soils
AGROVOC Term:	Physical properties
AGROVOC Term:	Electron microscopy
AGROVOC Term:	Humus
AGROVOC Term:	Soil sciences
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8635

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