Academic CentreSapropel is an inland water sediment with a high content of organic matter. Sapropel has been formed in Latvian lakes for the last 12 000 years and its total volume in lakes and fens under peat layers is ~ 2 billion m3. Sapropel has a high potential for application, however, it is never fully exploited in practice. Its use is limited by the incompatibility of modern technologies with the properties of the resource and the increase in cost due to necessity of dehydration.
The total area of fens in Latvia comprises about 6 400 km2. The present fens are Quaternary formations that have developed over the last 11 000 years at the end of the ice age. The projected peat resources of Latvia amount to 11.3 billion m3, which corresponds to approximately 1.8 billion tons of peat. In terms of peat reserves, Latvia is in second place among the Baltic states, ahead of Lithuania with 0.9 billion tons of peat. During the year, 0.7 to 1.0 million tons of peat accumulate in the territory of Latvia. Its natural accumulation rate significantly exceeds the amount of peat extraction.