Influence of a dual-species biofilm on the corrosion of mild steel

doi:10.1016/j.corsci.2004.11.013

Corrosion Science

Volume 48, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 165-178

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2004.11.013 Get rights and content

Abstract

The effect of a dual-species biofilm on the corrosion of carbon steel was examined using two bacterial species: the iron-reducer, Shewanella oneidensis (MR-1), and the sulfate-reducer, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (G20). These experiments exploit the fact that the products of their metabolism (ferrous iron or sulfide) affect the corrosion rate of carbon steel in opposite ways. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows that over a short time period, co-cultures of MR-1 and G20 protect steel from corrosion. The fact that an iron-reducing bacterium can inhibit corrosion when a corrosion-enhancing bacterium is present warrants future study with respect to its potential applicability to the design of biological corrosion-control measures.

Introduction

Microorganisms can promote (microbiologically influenced corrosion, or MIC) or impede the corrosion of metals [1], [2], [3], [4]. Bacteria identified thus far on corroding surfaces encompass a range of species with different metabolic properties, including the abilities to reduce oxygen, sulfate, sulfite, and ferric iron; oxidize sulfide and ferrous iron; ferment; and/or produce acid [1], [5], [6], [7], [8]. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), including Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, have long been associated with the corrosion of steel, and have been the focus of most MIC research [9], [10], [11], [12]. It has been proposed that the main product of sulfate respiration, sulfide, contributes to the further corrosion of steel [1], [12]. The presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria is often characterized by the presence of Fe_xS_y minerals such as troilite (FeS), pyrrhotite (Fe_0.875–1S), mackinawite (FeS_0.93–0.96), greigite (Fe₃S₄), or amorphous iron sulfide (FeS_amorph) [13], [14].

Additional studies have shown that other types of bacteria, like oxygen-consuming and iron-reducing bacteria, can inhibit corrosion [4], [15], [16]. For example, the dissimilatory iron-respiring bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 lowers the corrosion rate of mild steel in a system with no fluid flow [15]. Bacterial Fe(III) respiration protects steel from corrosion, in part because the resulting high concentrations of soluble Fe(II) scavenges O₂ in the water column [15], [17]. Because some bacteria can prevent steel from corroding in certain conditions, there is potential for developing corrosion-control methods by manipulating bacterial populations to favor certain organisms over others.

Here, we report that iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria can be enriched from biofilms that form on carbon steel incubated in the ocean, indicating that both corrosion-enhancing and corrosion-protective bacteria co-exist in nature. However, determining the exact contribution of each individual bacterial species to the corrosion process in natural communities is difficult, if not impossible, because many different types of bacteria are associated with the steel, many of which cannot not be cultured. Therefore, we created a laboratory model system to study the interactions of representative iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria: S. oneidensis strain MR-1 and D. desulfuricans strain G20. Strain MR-1 and G20 have opposite effects on corrosion due to their different metabolic activities. MR-1 can couple the oxidation of lactate to the reduction of poorly crystalline ferric (hydr)oxides [Fe(OH)₃]: $1 / 4 {CH}_{3} {CHOHCOO}^{-} + Fe (OH)_{3} + 2 H^{+} \to 1 / 4 {CH}_{3} {COO}^{-} + {Fe}^{2 +} + 1 / 4 {CO}_{2 (g)} + 11 / 4 H_{2} O$ whereas G20 can couple the oxidation of lactate to the reduction of sulfate: $2 {CH}_{3} {CHOHCOO}^{-} + {SO}_{4}^{2 -} + 2 H^{+} \to 2 {CH}_{3} {COO}^{-} + 2 {CO}_{2 (g)} + {HS}^{-} + 2 H_{2} O$

Through a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and solution chemistry measurements, we determined the relative contributions of strain MR-1 and strain G20 to enhancing or protecting the corrosion of carbon steel in monocultures or mixed communities.

Section snippets

Experimental approach

Iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria were enriched from the environment as follows: A mobile made from mild steel 1018 carbon coupons (3 in.²; Metal Samples, Inc.) was sterilized by autoclaving. The mobile was immersed in the ocean at the Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory (Corona del Mar, CA) approximately 73 in. below the surface of the water for 3 months. The pH of the water at the time of collection was ∼8.0; water temperature was ∼17 °C; salinity was ∼32 ppt. The rusty layer that formed on the steel

Enrichments for iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria

To validate the model system, we sought to confirm that iron- and sulfate-reducers coexist in biofilms on mild steel in the environment. A mobile made of carbon 1018 coupons was submerged in marine waters at Caltech’s Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory (Corona del Mar, CA) (Fig. 1a). Iron- and sulfate-reducers were enriched from the resulting rusty biofilm (Fig. 1b) by providing either Fe(OH)₃ or sulfate as the sole electron acceptor. After several passages, we enriched for a population of bacteria

Discussion

In this work, we have developed a laboratory model to study the effects of mixing a corrosion-protecting organism (an iron-respiring bacterium) and a corrosion-enhancing organism (an SRB) on the corrosion of carbon steel. We validated our choice of model organisms by culturing bacteria with similar respiratory properties from a biofilm that formed on carbon steel in a marine environment. We analyzed the electrochemical, chemical, and biological properties of corroding carbon steel in the

Conclusions

We explored the contributions of an iron-respiring bacterium and a sulfate-respiring bacterium to the corrosion of carbon steel. We first verified the existence of these two types of bacteria in a natural biofilm by successfully enriching for iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria from a biofilm formed on carbon steel in a marine environment. To our knowledge, this is the first time iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria have been isolated from the same biofilm, By using S. oneidensis strain MR-1 and

Acknowledgments

We thank Davin Malasarn for help with the environmental isolates, Susanne Douglas at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for help with ESEM, Florian Mansfeld and Stan Hsu for their assistance with EIS, and members of the Newman lab for useful discussions. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under a grant awarded in 2001 to AKL, and by grants from the Office of Naval Research and the Luce Foundation to DKN.

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¹: Present address: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 700 Moreno Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750, USA.

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Influence of a dual-species biofilm on the corrosion of mild steel

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Experimental approach

Enrichments for iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Curr. Opin. Biotechnol.

J. Microbiol. Meth.

Biofouling

Corrosion

Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.

Corrosion

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

Corrosion

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.