Microbiologically influenced corrosion of 304L stainless steel caused by an alga associated bacterium Halomonas titanicae

Publication date: Available online 4 September 2019Source: Journal of Materials Science & TechnologyAuthor(s): Yuqiao Dong, Yassir Lekbach, Zhong Li, Dake Xu, Soumya El Abed, Saad Ibnsouda Koraichi, Fuhui WangAbstractAlgae are reported to be corrosive, while little is known about the role of the algae associated bacteria in the corrosion process. In the present study, Halomonas titanicae (H. titanicae) was isolated from a culture of an alga strain, Spirulina platensis, and identified through 16S rRNA gene analysis. Corrosion behavior of 304 L stainless steel coupons in the presence and absence of H. titanicae was characterized by using electrochemical measurements and surface analysis. The results showed that H. titanicae significantly accelerated the corrosion rate and decreased the pitting potential of 304 L stainless steel in the biotic medium. After removal of the corrosion products and biofilms, severe pitting corrosion caused by H. titanicae was observed. The largest pit depth after 14 d reached 6.6 μm, which was 5.5 times higher than that of the sterile control (1.2 μm). This is the first report revealing that an alga associated bacterium can induce microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), and further concern is raised that whether algae play a role in the corrosion process.
Source: Journal of Materials Science and Technology - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research