The physicochemical properties of peat fibre, peat moss and two processed forms of peat moss were studied. The properties examined included thermal analysis (by T G A and DSC), IR spectroscopy and the zero point o f charge From D S C analysis it was found that the ignition point for the peat materials occurred at about 200°C. Above this temperature there were three exothermic peaks recorded, the first at c 333°C corresponded to the decomposition of cellulose, the second at c 438°C to the decomposition of bitumens and/or humic substance and the third at c 479°C to the decomposition of lignin. The surface area of the peat fibre was measured by methylene blue dye adsorption, N 2 adsorption and the negative adsorption o f chloride 1 0 ns. The surface areas measured by the three methods were 307, 2 3 and 0 05 m2 g_l respectively. The variation m surface areas was in keeping with the large differences in surface areas which have been reported for SOM. The sorption of a series of alcohols from vapour and aqueous phase by peat fibre was also studied. It was found that the sorption of alcohols from the vapour phase decreased in the order ethanol > 2 -propanol > 1 -butanol > 1 -pentanol while the sorption from the aqueous phase decreased in the order 1 -hexanol > 1 -pentanol > 1 - butanol > 2-propanol > ethanol. The results were inconclusive, but suggested that the sorption from the vapour phase was princ ipally by adsorption followed by absorption into the interior o f the peat, while the sorption from the aqueous phase was princ ipally by adsorption. A lab-scale biofilter was set up to eliminate ethanol vapour from an artificial waste gas stream using peat fibre as the filter material. A fter about 80 days o f operation over 80 % o f the ethanol vapour (inlet concentration c 76 g dm '3) was being eliminated. The elimination capacity was calculated to be c 61 g dm- 3 t r 1 and the critical gas constant to be c 60 g dm-3.