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Protocol for Evaluating the Biological Stability of Fuel Formulations and Their Relationship to Carbon Steel Biocorrosion

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Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols

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Abstract

The microbial metabolism of conventional and alternative fuels can be associated with the biocorrosion of the mostly carbon steel energy infrastructure. This phenomenon is particularly acute in anaerobic sulfate-rich environments. It is therefore important to reliably assess the inherent susceptibility of fuels to anaerobic biodegradation in marine waters as well as provide a measure of the impact of this metabolism on the integrity of steel. Such an assessment of fuels is increasingly important since the exact chemical makeup of both traditional and biofuels can vary and even subtle changes have a profound impact on steel biocorrosion. Herein, we describe a simple protocol involving the incubation of carbon steel coupons in seawater under anaerobic conditions. The increased depletion of sulfate in fuel-amended seawater incubations relative to both autoclaved and fuel-unamended negative controls is monitored as a function of time. We also recommend the incorporation of a known hydrocarbon-degrading sulfate-reducing bacterium as a positive control in the assay to verify that the protocol is not predisposed to failure for unrecognized reasons. At the end of the incubation, corrosion is assessed by both coupon weight loss and a mass balance of the total iron released. Lastly, three-dimension noncontact profilometry is used to assess the degree of damage (e.g., pitting) to the coupons. The integration of the interdisciplinary approaches in this protocol allows for a critical assessment of the biological stability of both traditional and alternative fuel formulations and their potential in exacerbating biocorrosion.

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Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the financial support from the Office of Naval Research (Award no. N0001408WX20857) and the advice and expertise of the many investigators on this project who contributed to the development of this protocol.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, OU Biocorrosion Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Renxing Liang & Joseph M. Suflita

Authors
  1. Renxing Liang
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  2. Joseph M. Suflita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph M. Suflita .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

    Terry J. McGenity

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis

  3. Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Balbina Nogales

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Liang, R., Suflita, J.M. (2015). Protocol for Evaluating the Biological Stability of Fuel Formulations and Their Relationship to Carbon Steel Biocorrosion. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales, B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_76

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_76

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-49138-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-49140-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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