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Influence of Salt Water Flow on Structures and Diversity of Biofilms Grown on 316L Stainless Steel

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Abstract

Salt water, in addition to being a naturally corrosive environment, also includes factors such as temperature, pressure, and the presence of the microbial community in the environment that influence degradation processes on metal surfaces. The presence or absence of water flow over the metal surfaces is also an important aspect that influences the corrosion of metals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence or absence of salt water flow in the formation of biofilms grown in 316L stainless steel coupons. For this, the 316L stainless steel coupons were exposed in two different microcosms, the first being a system with continuous salt water flow, and the second without salt water flow system. The results of the sequencing of the 16S rDNA genes showed a clear difference in structures and diversity between the evaluated biofilms. There was greater abundance and diversity in the “In Flux” system when compared to the “No Flux” biofilm. The analysis of bacterial diversity showed a predominance of the Gammaproteobacteria class in both systems. However, at lower taxonomic levels, there were considerable differences in representativeness. Representatives of Vibrionales, Alteromonadales, Oceanospirillales, and Flavobacteriales were predominant in “No Flux”, whereas in “In Flux” there was a greater representation of Alteromonadales, Rhodobacterales, and Saprospirales. These findings help to understand how the flow of water influences the dynamics of the formation of microbial biofilms on metal surfaces, which will contribute to the choice of strategies used to mitigate microbial biofouling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Corrosion Laboratory, Estácio University (UNESA), Bispo Street, 83, Room AG405, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 20261-063, Brazil

    Bárbara Nascimento Rufino & Luciano Procópio

  2. Industrial Microbiology and Bioremediation Department, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Luciano Procópio

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  1. Bárbara Nascimento Rufino
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  2. Luciano Procópio
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LP conceived and designed experiments. BNR and LP conducted all experiments in laboratory conditions. LP analyzed the data, designed the graphs, and written the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Luciano Procópio.

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Rufino, B.N., Procópio, L. Influence of Salt Water Flow on Structures and Diversity of Biofilms Grown on 316L Stainless Steel. Curr Microbiol 78, 3394–3402 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-021-02596-5

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