Discussion
The utilization of coaly material in the agricultural sector is based
on the fact that peat/coal are valuable sources for organic matter in
inorganic soils, as well as for their high HA contents, which are the
most active constituents of coal from an edaphological point of view
(Estévez et al., 1990; Akinremi et al., 2000).
In order to use organic sediments as soil-amelioration agents or as
raw materials for manufacturing humic fertilizers, it is important to
evaluate their characteristics. The studied samples from the Greek
peat/coal deposits reveal significant variations in their physical and
chemical features, related to their depositional palaeoenvironment
and rank.
As pointed above the basic sampling criterion in the current study
was the small coal-deposit size, the limited lateral extension of the
seams and their exclusion from energy application; additionally the
quality of most samples in terms of mineral matter content is low. The
examined samples represent peat/coal formations in both intermontane
and paralic basins, mainly deposited under rheotrophic conditions
of high groundwater level and intense inorganic sedimentation