Accelerated low water corrosion: the microbial sulfur cycle in microcosm

[en] Accelerated low water corrosion is a form of marine steel corrosion caused by bacterial activity. It has a global spread and is potentially responsible for billions of pounds of damage. We have determined in detail both the chemistry of corrosion products and the associated microbiology at a UK site. The corrosion products form a layered structure with iron sulfides at the steel surface and iron oxides and sulfates in contact with water. The iron sulfides are formed by reaction of steel with hydrogen sulfide formed by sulfate-reducing bacteria and are oxidised through a series of sulfur oxidation states by sulfide-oxidising bacteria, forming acid at all stages and encompassing the whole of the bacterial sulfur cycle. The bacteria involved are endemic in anoxic bed sediment, and the process is a response to the presence of steel as an electron donor, and the generation of anoxic microenvironments within corrosion products.

Disciplines :

Microbiology

Author, co-author :

Smith, Martin

Bardiau, Marjorie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > ULiège Library : Sciences de la Santé

Brennan, Richard

Burgess, Heidi

Caplin, Jonathan

Ray, Santanu

Urios, Thomas

Language :

English

Title :

Accelerated low water corrosion: the microbial sulfur cycle in microcosm

Publication date :

2019

Journal title :

npj Materials Degradation

eISSN :

2397-2106

Publisher :

Nature Publishing Group, United Kingdom

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 10 November 2020

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