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Corrosion of Iron by Iodide-Oxidizing Bacteria Isolated from Brine in an Iodine Production Facility

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Elemental iodine is produced in Japan from underground brine (fossil salt water). Carbon steel pipes in an iodine production facility at Chiba, Japan, for brine conveyance were found to corrode more rapidly than those in other facilities. The corroding activity of iodide-containing brine from the facility was examined by immersing carbon steel coupons in “native” and “filter-sterilized” brine samples. The dissolution of iron from the coupons immersed in native brine was threefold to fourfold higher than that in the filter-sterilized brine. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses revealed that iodide-oxidizing bacteria (IOBs) were predominant in the coupon-containing native brine samples. IOBs were also detected in a corrosion deposit on the inner surface of a corroded pipe. These results strongly suggested the involvement of IOBs in the corrosion of the carbon steel pipes. Of the six bacterial strains isolated from a brine sample, four were capable of oxidizing iodide ion (I−) into molecular iodine (I2), and these strains were further phylogenetically classified into two groups. The iron-corroding activity of each of the isolates from the two groups was examined. Both strains corroded iron in the presence of potassium iodide in a concentration-dependent manner. This is the first report providing direct evidence that IOBs are involved in iron corrosion. Further, possible mechanisms by which IOBs corrode iron are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (Grant No. P05032). We would like to thank Mr. Eiji Sasaki (Corrosion Center, Japan Society of Corrosion Engineering), Dr. Toshiaki Kodama (Nakabotec Corrosion Protecting Co., Ltd.), and Mr. Kunio Agata (Aquas Corporation) for their valuable suggestions. We also thank Mr. Shunkichi Iijima for technical assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Shigeaki Harayama

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8551, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NITE Biological Resource Center (NBRC), National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), 2-5-8 Kazusakamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan

    Satoshi Wakai, Takao Iino, Koji Mori & Shigeaki Harayama

  2. Advanced Technology Research Laboratories, Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corporation, 20-1 Shintomi, Futtsu, Chiba, 293-8511, Japan

    Kimio Ito

  3. Technical Research Center, INPEX Corporation, 9-23-30 Kitakarasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 157-0061, Japan

    Yasuyoshi Tomoe

  4. Organization of Advanced Science and Technology, Kobe University, 1-1Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, Hyogo, 657-8501, Japan

    Satoshi Wakai

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  1. Satoshi Wakai
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  2. Kimio Ito
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Correspondence to Satoshi Wakai.

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Wakai, S., Ito, K., Iino, T. et al. Corrosion of Iron by Iodide-Oxidizing Bacteria Isolated from Brine in an Iodine Production Facility. Microb Ecol 68, 519–527 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0438-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0438-x

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