The Future Of Stainless Steel Is Definitely Bright

You could say that stainless steel has a lot going for it. Aside from its resistance to corrosion and staining, the vast majority of stainless steel products have long lives. On average stainless steel products such as counter-tops, cutlery, saucepans, tubing, pressure vessels and exhaust systems can be expected to last for 15-25 years. For some applications however, this figure is much higher. The iconic Chrysler Building on the New York skyline for example, is already 80 years old and is still going strong. In addition, stainless steel is 100% recyclable and is one of very few materials that can be recycled time and time again without damaging any of its properties.

So despite its definitive advantages over other materials in the present, what does the future hold for stainless steel? Let’s take a closer look.

The biomass experience

If there’s one word that typifies the future of renewable energy, it’s biomass! Did you know the conversion of biomass fuel such as wood chippings and animal waste into sustainable biogas is amongst the cheapest forms of renewable energy? Stainless steel may play a big part in this. Research shows that stainless steel is the perfect receptacle for storing biomass, in particular the corrosive materials found in the digester. As it has non corrosive properties it’s the ideal vessel for collecting the gas (biogas) before it’s turned into electricity. But that’s not all! Stainless steel biomass tanks solve the problems of organic waste disposal including manure, save fossil fuel reserves, and improve CO2 emissions. So in future expect to see a lot more stainless steel tanks.

The desalination process

Did you know that a little over 71% of the entire Earth’s surface is water covered, and 95% of this is salt water? With the vast shortages of drinkable water we have in the world today it makes sense that governments are already investing billions into the desalination process. Or rather, the art of turning salt water into fresh drinking water. Stainless steel already provides many solutions for the desalination industry as it can resist the corrosive effects that sea water has. In dry parts of the world stainless steel is making a remarkable difference to the lives of some, but there is much more to be done. For this reason stainless steel will continue to be the key driver in providing safe drinking water for millions more people.

Improved hygiene

Since its discovery in the early 20^th century stainless steel has been used in professional and domestic kitchens. Why? Aside from being durable, tough, and exceptionally easy to clean it’s also been proven in clinical tests to be more hygienic than virtually all other food contact surfaces. Now research is continuing into how that hygiene can be improved further. It’s thought that by improving the chrome to iron ratio you’ll have a more durable surface that will be even less prone to rusting or staining. As a result expect stainless steel to be the must have kitchen material for many years to come.

So there you have it, the future of stainless steel is most definitely bright as greater innovations involving the material come to the fore.

While we may not be able to predict the future we do manufacture and fabricate a wide variety of metal products including stainless steel for use across a number of purposes/industries. If you have a project in mind, then we’d love to help you turn it into a reality. For more information, contact Metro Steel on 07 3204 1000 and talk to our team of experts today.