SANDEEP K P

AEM 10

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 1
 What is corrosion?

 Corrosion of metal in an oxygenated aqueous

environment is an electrochemical phenomenon in
which the metal ions go into solution (anodic
reaction) leaving electron that combine with oxygen
to produce hydroxyl ions (cathodic reaction)
 In anaerobic environments, oxygen is replaced by
hydrogen ions or water as cathodic reactants

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 2
 The deterioration of metal due to microbial activity
 Biocorrosion or microbial corrosion or
microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) may be
defined as an electrochemical process where the
participation of microorganisms is able to initiate,
facilitate or accelerate the corrosion
 Biocorrosion refers to the accelerated deterioration of
metals owing to the presence of biofilm on their
surface
 The detailed mechanisms of biocorrosion are
poorly understood

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 3
 Biocorrosion means the processes at metal surfaces
which are associated with microorganisms, or the
products of their metabolic activities like enzymes,
exopolymers, organic and inorganic acids, as well as
volatile compounds such as ammonia or hydrogen
sulphide
 These can affect cathodic and/or anodic reactions,
thus altering electrochemistry at the biofilm/metal
interface

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 4
 Biocorrosion is a process in which metabolic activities
of microorganisms associated with metallic materials
(e.g. manganese oxidation by bacteria) supply
insoluble products (e.g. manganic oxides/hydroxides),
which are able to accept electrons from the base metal

Pitting corrosion on 316S stainless steel, an example of MIC

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 5
 Recent investigations in biocorrosion have focused
on the influence of biominerilization process taking
place in metallic surfaces & the impact of
extracellular enzymes, active within biofilm matrix
and on the electrochemical reactions at the biofilm-
metal interface
 The two component system (metal + solution)
characteristics of abiotic corrosion changes to a three
component system (metal + solution +
microorganism) in biocorrosion
 The subsequent behavior of metal / solution interface
will be conditioned by the interactions between these
three components

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 6
 A thick biofilm develops, an anaerobic zone develops
adjacent to the colonized surface
 Microorganisms develop colonies and complex
consortia
 These trap ions and create localized chemical and
physical gradients at the metal surface
 An electrochemical cell is set up and metal dissolves,
causing pit formation beneath the affected area

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 Bacteria are considered as the primary colonizers of
inanimate surfaces in both natural and manmade
environment
 Bacterial biofilm on Fe, Cu, Al and their alloys
 The main types of bacteria associated with metals in
terrestrial and aquatic habitats are
sulfate reducing & oxidizing
bacteria, iron oxidizing & reducing bacteria,
manganese oxidizing bacteria and bacteria secretes
organic acids, slime
 A consortium of bacteria coexists in naturally
occurring biofilmENVIRONMENTAL
complexMICROBIOLOGY 8
 Biofilms consist of microbial cells, their EPS, which
facilitate irreversible attachment of cells to the
surface, inorganic precipitates derived from the bulk
aqueous phase &/or corrosion products of the metal
substratum
 EPS consist of a complex mixture of cell-derived
polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids.

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 9
 EPS
FeS SRB
CELLS

FeS

SRB Cell surface

SRB on mild steel

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 10
1.Free-floating /planktonic bacteria encounter a submerged
surface and within minutes can become attached. They begin to
produce slimy extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and to
colonize the surface.
2.EPS production allows the emerging biofilm community to
develop a complex, three-dimensional structure that is
influenced by a variety of environmental factors.
3.Biofilms can propagate through detachment of small or large
clumps of cells, or by a type of "seeding dispersal" that releases
individual cells ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 11
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 12
 Bacteria, Yeast and Fungi
 The synergistic effects of several properties of the microorganisms
such as their growth rate, varied metabolic products and their high
surface to volume ratio allow them to interact very actively
 Biofilm
 Gallionella, an iron-oxidising bacterium and Pedomicrobium ­
manganicum, a manganese-oxidising bacterium
 Hyphomicrobium, Sphaerotilus, Crenothrix, Leptothrix, Siderocapsa.
Thiobacillus thioparus and Thiobacillus thiooxidans.

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 Acidithiobacillus bacteria produce sulphuric acid;
Acidothiobacillus thiooxidans frequently damages
sewer pipes.
 Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans directly oxidizes iron to
iron oxides and iron hydroxides
 aerobic bacteria like Thiobacillus thiooxidans,
Thiobacillus thioparus, and Thiobacillus concretivorus
 anaerobic bacteria especially Desulfovibrio and
Desulfotomaculum

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Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB)
 Anaerobes which carry out reduction of sulphur
compounds such as sulphate, sulphite, thio-sulphate
and even sulphur itself to sulphide
 Oil, gas and shipping industries are seriously affected
by the sulphides generated by SRB
 Biogenic sulphide production leads to health and
safety problems, environmental hazards and severe
economic losses due to reservoir souring (increased
sulphur content) and the corrosion of equipment
 Desulfovibrio alaskensis, Desulfovibrio vulgaris

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Metal-Depositing Bacteria (MDB)
 Bacteria of the genera Siderocapsa, Gallionella,
Leptothrix, Sphaerotilus, Crenothrix and Clonothrix
participate in the biotransformation of oxides of
metals such as iron and manganese
 Iron-depositing bacteria (e.g., Gallionella and
Leptothrix) oxidize Fe2+, either dissolved in the bulk
medium or precipitated on a surface, to Fe3+
 Bacteria of the genera given above are also capable
of oxidizing manganous ions to manganic ions with
subsequent deposition of manganese dioxide
 These bacteria have been typically associated with
formation of tubercles
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 16
Slime-producing bacteria
 Slime-forming microorganisms on stainless steels
include Clostridium spp., Flavobacterium spp.,
Bacillus spp., Desulfovibrio spp., Desulfotomaculum
spp. and Pseudomonas spp
Fungi
 produce organic acids
 Hormoconis resinae, Aspergillus spp., Penicillium
spp. and Fusarium spp

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 Enzymes such as catalases, peroxidases and
superoxide dismutases are involved in reactions of
oxygen reduction, therefore facilitate corrosion by
accelerating the overall cathodic reaction
 Extracellular catalase produced by Pseudomonas
species

SEM image of a mild steel surface after the removal of bacterial

biofilm, revealing changes in surface
ENVIRONMENTAL characteristics
MICROBIOLOGY 18
 Destroys the metal distribution pipes
 Water quality deterioration, environmental
contamination
 Economic losses in water distribution systems
 Damage to sewage systems by acid deterioration
 MIC of carbon steel in cooling water system in
power plants
 Losses in oil and gas companies
 Approximately 20% of all corrosion damage to
metallic materials is microbially influenced

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ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 20