Challenges and knowledge gaps in corrosion and materials degradation of bioreactors for waste feedstocks
Maria Ramos-Suarez, Yue Zhang, Julian Wharton, Sonia Heaven · 2026
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Description
Maria Ramos-Suarez and co-authors review a practical problem facing the growing bio-economy: the steel and composite tanks used to turn waste into fuel and chemicals can corrode faster than expected. Their 2026 paper covers bioreactors that process waste feedstocks into products like biomethane, biohydrogen, ethanol, and lactic acid using living microbes. The same microbes and waste streams create harsh conditions inside the vessels, including acids, hydrogen sulphide gas, chlorides, and sticky biofilms.
Stainless steel, coated metals, and composites resist many conditions, the authors explain, but waste-based processes add microbially driven corrosion plus abrasion that standard tests do not reproduce. Existing test methods were designed for simpler settings and miss what happens during long operation with combined wear and chemical attack. The paper maps the knowledge gaps and argues for realistic long-term testing so cheaper reactors do not fail early.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Maria Ramos-Suarez, Yue Zhang, Julian Wharton, Sonia Heaven |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 108 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |