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The Role of Localized Acidity Generation in Microbially Influenced Corrosion

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Abstract

Microbially influenced corrosion is of great industrial concern. Microbial coupling of metal oxidation to sulfate-, nitrate-, nitrite-, or CO2-reduction is proton-mediated, and some sulfate-reducing prokaryotes are capable of regulating extracellular pH. The analysis of the corrosive processes catalyzed by nitrate reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea indicates that these microorganisms may be capable of regulating extracellular pH as well. It is proposed that nutrient limitation at metal–biofilm interfaces may induce activation of enzymatic proton-producing/proton-secreting functions in respiratory and methanogenic microorganisms to make them capable of using Fe0 as the electron donor. This can be further verified through experiments involving measurements of ion and gas concentrations at metal–biofilm interfaces, microscopy, and transcriptomics analyses.

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  1. National Research Council Canada, 110 Gymnasium Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0W9, Canada

    Yuriy Kryachko & Sean M. Hemmingsen

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  1. Yuriy Kryachko
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Correspondence to Yuriy Kryachko.

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Kryachko, Y., Hemmingsen, S.M. The Role of Localized Acidity Generation in Microbially Influenced Corrosion. Curr Microbiol 74, 870–876 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-017-1254-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-017-1254-6

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