American Peat Technology, LLC

Since 2003, American Peat Technology has been manufacturing value-added products made from the natural resource known as peat. The bulk of the manufacturing process revolves around drying and granulating locally-sourced reed-sedge peat, which results in a unique media that is subsequently sold into two different markets: agronomy and water remediation.

Although at first glance, the harvest and processing of peat may seem to be a rudimentary practice, in reality, APT is a technology company. From the state-of-the-art biomass combustor at the front end of the manufacturing process, to the cutting-edge research that occurs with the finished media, American Peat Technology’s commitment to producing products that meet market needs is apparent in the company’s thoughtful and far-sighted business strategy. As evidenced in APT’s products year after year, the judicious use of the peat resource results in environmentally-friendly ways to fertilize legumes, deliver beneficial microorganisms to critical crops and treat water that has been contaminated with heavy metals.

Although it is risky to try to boil a company’s culture down into a single statement, Thomas Edison would have found APT to be a place of like-minded workers when he remarked “I find out what the world needs. Then, I go ahead and invent it.”

APTsorb Remediation Media

From stormwater treatment and mine dewatering to process water polishing, APTsorb is the go-to tool for today’s water remediation professional. APTsorb is a proven performer against dissolved heavy metals in a wide variety of waste streams, and yet is cost-effective from initial start-up to final disposal.

If you’ve had experience with using peat products in the past, and they have underwhelmed you, let APTsorb change your thinking. The toxin-filtering ability of wetlands is well-documented, but until now, natural peat has not been a widely-accepted alternative for wastewater treatment. APTsorb retains natural peat’s affinity for heavy metals, but transforms it through thermal and chemical treatment into a hardened granule that has favorable hydraulic conductivity and structural strength.

The media is effective against dissolved heavy metals such as zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, chromium, manganese, nickel and cobalt. Additionally, the angular granular structure of the media acts as a physical filter. This means that in some cases, the media will treat both suspended and dissolved metals in the same contact vessel. In the proper system design, the media can be back flushed to remove solids.

APTsorb is easy to deploy. The media can be used in almost any structure, tank, vault, boom sock or in-ground cell as long as the flow rate can be controlled. The capacity of the media is dependent on the metals of concern, competing ions and water chemistry and is cost-effective for most applications. The media can also be used in a treatment train to polish water prior to discharge or to remove selected ions within the treatment system.

bioAPT Microbial Carrier

BioAPT is a microbial carrier manufactured from reed-sedge peat. The media is produced in two different forms, granular and powdered. American Peat Technology’s advanced production process and strict quality control parameters result in a consistent, quality product season after season, year after year. The company’s commitment to producing a media of excellence is borne out in the nearly-universal use of bioAPT as a peat-based Rhizobia carrier in granular form.

Peat has been used as a Rhizobia carrier for decades and is used worldwide, almost to the exclusion of all other materials. In the past, the principle concern of peat as an inoculant was related almost entirely to the variability of the parent material and its subsequent effect on microbial survivability. American Peat Technology has addressed those shortcomings through three measures:

• A dedicated harvest area under exclusive permit to APT
• A state-of-the-art production process that is capable of producing a large volume of media within tight parameters
• A strict quality control protocol that identifies media that is out of specification and pulls it out of the production process.

Sustainability & Peat Reserves

Since 2003, American Peat Technology has been producing value-added products manufactured from the peat natural resource. Although the use of peat in general is under scrutiny, the benefits of using peat in defined, high-value ways is indisputable. American Peat Technology’s sustainability documents for bioAPT and APTsorb are a reasoned, in-depth voice in the discussion revolving around the best use of peat.

In addition to stewarding the peat resource it depends on, American Peat Technology continually seeks ways to make its manufacturing process more environmentally sensitive and sustainable. The use of fossil fuels in the peat drying process is not only a concern environmentally, it subjects the company to varying and unpredictable costs and supply. By 2017, APT expects to accomplish 100 percent of its drying operation through the use of carbon-neutral, locally-available and cost-effective biomass. Additionally, through creative engineering and fabrication, APT seeks to repurpose equipment as it expands and optimizes the production process. All of these efforts result in less pollution, less waste and less impact on the environment.

The long-term health and productivity of APT is directly tied to its peat resources. At current rates of use, the company has a 75-year supply of peat in its existing permitted harvest area. The company hopes to grow and exceed its current use rate, however, which obviously reduces the expected lifetime of the current harvest area. The long-term plan of APT is to develop additional peat deposits and new manufacturing locations to meet future demand. Because opening new peatlands for development is a time-consuming, arduous process through numerous permitting agencies and subject to the social license of the local community, the process of expansion has already begun.

American Peat Technology does not take lightly the perceived hazards of peat harvesting. Just as in the current location of Aitkin, local communities are proud and protective of the natural resources that characterize their landscapes. But APT can point to the experiences and track record gained in Aitkin as a hedge against uncertainty. Peat harvest necessarily disturbs the natural landscape, but in the process, APT invests in its host community through the generation of well-paying jobs, a commitment to buying locally as much as possible and a generous charitable giving program. Once peat harvest is complete on a deposit, communities can expect APT to comply with and exceed the conditions of its permit by returning the harvest area to a vibrant, diverse and native landscape that will ultimately become a net producer of peat in the future.

Peat is a valuable resource, and APT will continue to be a staunch supporter of sustaining and enhancing it into the future. The environmental, social and economic benefits of peat development are too important for us to do anything less.