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Corrosive Metabolic Activity of Desulfovibrio sp. on 316L Stainless Steel

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Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of chemical parameters (SO4 2−, PO4 3−, Cl−, pH) and the contents of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) regarding the growth of Desulfovibrio sp. on the microbiologically induced corrosion of 316L stainless steel (SS). The experiments were carried out in laboratory-scaled test and control systems. 316L SS coupons were exposed to Desulfovibrio sp. culture over 720 h. The test coupons were removed at specific sampling times for enumeration of Desulfovibrio sp., determination of the corrosion rate by the weight loss measurement method and also for analysis of carbohydrate and protein in the EPS. The chemical parameters of the culture were also established. Biofilm/film formation and corrosion products on the 316L SS surfaces were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry analyses in the laboratory-scaled systems. It was found that Desulfovibrio sp. led to the corrosion of 316L SS. Both the amount of extracellular protein and chemical parameters (SO4 2− and PO4 3−) of the culture caused an increase in the corrosion of metal. There was a significantly positive relationship between the sessile and planktonic Desulfovibrio sp. counts (p < 0.01). It was detected that the growth phases of the sessile and planktonic Desulfovibrio sp. were different from each other and the growth phases of the sessile Desulfovibrio sp. vary depending on the subspecies of Desulfovibrio sp. and the type of metal when compared with the other published studies.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) (National Grants of TÜBİTAK Intended for Priority Fields, 2210-C) and by the Research Fund of Istanbul University (Project Numbers: 36473, 41046 and UDP-44789).

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  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, 34134, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey

    Simge Arkan & Esra Ilhan-Sungur

  2. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemistry-Metallurgy, Yıldız Technical University, 34210, Esenler, Istanbul, Turkey

    Nurhan Cansever

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  1. Simge Arkan
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Arkan, S., Ilhan-Sungur, E. & Cansever, N. Corrosive Metabolic Activity of Desulfovibrio sp. on 316L Stainless Steel. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 25, 5352–5362 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2371-2

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