Corrosion Problems in Brewing

by John J. Palmer

(Article written for the March/April issue of Brewing Techniques)

Beer is corrosive. Not only is beer acidic but it contains live microfauna

which can cause bio-fouling and bio-corrosion. Beer can be corrosive to the

tanks and fluid lines used in the brewing process, and it can be corrosive to

the brewery building too. Several common problems, causes and solutions will

be discussed here in the hope that this information will help both micro and

homebrewers.

Beer and Concrete.

Let's start at the ground level with the concrete floors found in most

commercial breweries. Beer acts as a weak acid, dissolving the lime in the

concrete. Bacteria can grow in the porosity of the concrete feeding off the

sugars that soak in. Once bacteria becomes entrenched, it can only be removed

by removing the contaminated concrete. This can be done by grit blasting or

acid etching but if the contamination is deep, several inches of concrete may

need to be removed to get rid of the infestation and accompanying stench. This

bio-fouling can lead to spalling and cracking of the concrete, particularly if

the seepage can reach the steel rebar. Steel in contact with concrete will

rapidly corrode in the presence of moisture. In both cases, the solution is to

coat the floors and rebar with waterproof epoxies. There are several types of

epoxies available, including polyamide epoxies that will cure in high

humidity, cool temperature areas. Other water-based epoxies have been

developed that have little curing odor, which could be adsorbed by the beer,

hops or malts. Glazed tile joined with epoxy grout is another alternative

which provides good wear characteristics in high traffic areas.

Beer and Brewery Equipment

The equipment investment of a brewery is considerable. Any metal contacting

the beer should not react to produce off flavors. It is for this reason that

stainless steel is so commonly used. These steels are acid resistant and do

not taint the product. Other common brewery metals are brass, copper, aluminum

and non-stainless (mild) steel. It is where these different metals join that

corrosion can be a frequent problem.

Galvanic Corrosion

All corrosion is basically galvanic (over-generalization). The electrochemical

difference between two metals in an electrolyte causes electrons to flow and

ions to be created. These ions combine with oxygen or other elements to create

corrosion products. What this means is that cleaning off the corrosion

products does not solve the problem. The cause of the corrosion is usually the

environment (electrolyte) or the metals themselves. Harken back to your high

school chemistry class and I will explain. An electrolyte can be defined as

any liquid containing dissolved ions ex. tap water. Each metal has an inherent

electrical potential. These potentials are small, but provide for the ranking

of the metals from the most passive (lowest potential) Platinum, to the most

active (highest potential) Magnesium. See Table 1.

Table 1- Galvanic Series in Seawater

<Most Active/Anodic>

Magnesium

Zinc

Aluminum (pure)

Cadmium

Aluminum Alloys

Mild Steel and Iron

Un-passivated Stainless Steels

Lead-Tin Solders

Lead

Tin

Un-passivated Nickel Alloys

Brass

Copper

Bronze

Silver Solder

Passivated Nickel Alloys

Passivated Stainless Steels

Silver

Titanium

Graphite

Gold
Platinum

<Most Passive/Cathodic>

Place any two metals in an electrolyte in contact with one another and a

galvanic reaction takes place. The more active metal will dissolve (ionize) in

preference to the more passive. The intensity of that dissolution can be

eyeballed from Table 1, but there are many variables (electrolyte, size,

shape, degree of passivity, time, etc) that control a particular corrosion

cell's rate.

Okay, enough chemistry. What this means to the brewer is that if he has mild

steel in contact with copper, the steel will corrode. Beer is an excellent

electrolyte. If the brewer has copper in contact with passivated stainless

steel, the copper will corrode. Brass fittings and silver solder are right in

the thick of things with regard to potential, but fortunately the difference

is small and corrosion rates would be quite low. One rule of thumb is that if

the cathode size is much smaller than the anode size, then the rate of

corrosion will be very small. As a practical illustration, stainless steel

rivets on a copper tank would cause minimal corrosion of the copper. Copper

rivets on a stainless steel tank would soon be history.

Copper

Copper is generally more acid resistant than it is alkaline resistant.

Alkalines like Bleach, Ammonia and Hydrogen Peroxide will quickly cause

blackening of copper and brass due to the formation of black oxides. These
oxides will rub off, exposing new metal to corrosion. For this reason alkaline

cleaners, very useful for dissolving organic deposits, should be used with

caution. Copper is not resistant to oxidiz