Stainless steel is the material of choice for many applications in the bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas sectors as it presents a cost-efficient and reliable material solution, says international nonprofit organisation the Nickel Institute.

The organisation recently published its ‘Stainless Steels: Cost-Efficient Materials for the Global Biofuels Industry’ report to highlight the economic benefits of selecting the appropriate grade of stainless steel to bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas producers and supporting industries, such as process technology providers, developers, plant designers and operators.

“Stainless steel offers excellent corrosion resistance in the biofuels industry’s process conditions. “It has good strength, ductility, toughness and ease of fabrication,” explains the report, which also indicates that an increasing number of biofuels process engineering com- panies are specifying stainless steel for much of their production equipment.

For its future growth and long-term potential, the Nickel Institute stresses that the biofuels industry needs to develop efficient and cost-competitive process designs, based on sustainable, nonfood feedstocks.

“Biorefineries, which integrate biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuel, power and chemicals from biomass, are seen as the most promising route to the creation of a biobased industry in many countries,” the report highlights.

Nickel Institute president Kevin Bradley says biofuel plants are looking for cost-effectiveness, reliability, low maintenance costs and long-lasting production equipment.

“Stainless steel offers these attributes and more, and can bring considerable value to the biofuels industry,” he says, adding that stainless steel is 100% recyclable, which helps support the biofuels industry’s long-term sustainability concepts and goals.