Impact and Role of Bacterial Communities on Biocorrosion of Metals Used in the Processing Industry

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of the corrosive bacterial community and the biofilm on cooling water systems made from mild steel (MS) and brass (BR) were studied under field exposure conditions using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction methods. Results from16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the predominant bacteria species detected in the biofilm of MS and BR metals during 360 days of exposure were Bacillus cereus EN14, Achromobacter xylosoxidans EN15, A. xylosoxidans EN16, and B. cereus EN17. The weight loss results revealed that a higher corrosion rate was observed in MS (0.7 ± 0.1 mm/y) compared with that in BR (0.17 ± 0.05 mm/y) at the end of the exposure period. This can be explained by the bacterial communities enhancing the corrosion rates by creating a local corrosive environment. Scanning electron microscope images revealed the adsorption of biofilm on the MS and BR surfaces following180 days of exposure. From the electrochemical impedance study, a higher charge transfer resistance (Rct) was obtained for BR (119.6 Ω cm2) when compared with that of MS (43.4 Ω cm2). This study explains the role of bacterial communities and their mechanisms in the corrosion of MS and BR in cooling water systems.

Current approaches for the exploration of antimicrobial activities of nanoparticles

“…Such biofilms confer resistance against antibiotics, due to which it is clinically challenging to cure the infections [2]. Moreover, the biofilms enhance corrosion on metallic surfaces and provoke mechanical blockage in fluid systems [3,4].…”

“…Such biofilms confer resistance against antibiotics, due to which it is clinically challenging to cure the infections [ 2 ]. Moreover, the biofilms enhance corrosion on metallic surfaces and provoke mechanical blockage in fluid systems [ 3 , 4 ]. The presence of bacteria promotes colonization in operation theatres and on medical devices, leading to nosocomial infections.…”

Corrosion Inhibition of Mild Steel with Tolyltriazole

“…One of the most effective approaches to avoid corrosion in closed systems is the addition of corrosion inhibitors to corrosive solutions. A variety of organic inhibitors provide a possibility for the application of economical metals in different industries for corrosive environments [1][2][3][4] .…”

Modeling Bacterial Adhesion to Unconditioned Abiotic Surfaces

“…Bacterial biofilms are complex consortia of bacterial cells and extracellular substances that can form on various interfaces (Dunne, 2002). The presence of such biofilms on solid, abiotic surfaces can cause problems in many applications: Formed on ship hulls, they increase hydrodynamic friction and therewith fuel consumption (De Carvalho, 2007), biofilms formed inside pipes reduce the pipes' diameter and therewith flow rates of fluids (Schwermer et al, 2008), biocorrosion caused by biofilms reduces efficiency of cooling water systems in the processing industry (Narenkumar et al, 2019). On medical equipment, such as catheters, implants, protheses, and pacemakers, biofilms are responsible for device-related infections, which can lead to severe diseases and hence are an important health care problem (Magill et al, 2014;Römling et al, 2014;Jamal et al, 2018).…”