Effect of ethanol chemistry on the SCC susceptibility of carbon steel

Carbon steel is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in fuel grade ethanol (FGE) but the susceptibility has been shown to depend on the minor constituents in the FGE. Composition of impurities or minor constituents in FGE may depend on the source of ethanol, production method, or other factors. Because the ethanol can be produced through a variety of methods from different biomass, the resulting FGE may have certain subtle differences which may lead to the differences in the SCC susceptibility of carbon steel. The susceptibility of carbon steel to SCC in ethanol from different sources will be studied and correlated to the ethanol chemistry.