The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Biodegradable steel

 

Hello sir,

I am doing my masters in the university of queensland, Brisbane, Australia. As I would like to know, is there any research going on the "biodegradable steel". As I came to know from some source that biodegradable steel is made by blending the steel with keratin(protein present in hair).

Thanking you in anticipation,

Aditya M.Angadi
- Brisbane, Australia

As far as I know, ALL steel is biodegradable. Just let it sit long enough without any protection, and it will start to degrade back to it's natural form - iron oxide (rust). If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that the keratin might inhibit the degrading (rusting) of the steel to a small extent and make the process take longer.

Dan Brewer
chemical process supplier - Gurnee, Illinois

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I know that it doesn't take much to singe the hair off of my arm if I accidentally get too close to a flame, I would say that blending keratin with molten steel would only burn it off instantly, leaving no keratin in the mix, but it would leave carbon in the steel.

This procedure of mixing protein with steel doesn't make much sense to me.

  
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
 

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Sounds like a new thread to take over from copper iridium coins.

Bill Reynolds [deceased]
consultant metallurgist - Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
We sadly relate the news that Bill passed away on Jan. 29, 2010.
 

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Hi Aditya,

As the pundits pointed out, yup, steel IS, of course, biodegradable ...just takes some time, that's all. Time and oxygen and moisture. You should have known that, eh?

Even Masters of Science (or whatever) are biodegradable! The stable form of steel is Fe203 and Fe304.

Many plastics are not biodegradable!

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).