Spatial and Temporal Relationships Between Localized Corrosion and Bacterial Activity on Iron-Containing Substrata

摘要

A series of laboratory and field experiments were designed to determine the temporal and spatial relationships between accumulations of bacteria and pitting corrosion of iron-containing metals exposed in fresh and marine electrolytes. Abiotic corrosion was established in both carbon and stainless steels prior to the introduction of viable and glutaraldehyde-fixed bacteria in fresh water and seawater media. In all cases a spatial relationship between accumulations of cells and localized corrosion was documented. regardless of the origin of the localized corrosion. Both viable and glutaraldehyde-fixed cells were preferentially attracted to anodic regions on iron substrata and cells were enmeshed in iron corrosion products. The attraction, specific for iron, was more influential than topography in determining the spatial distribution of bacterial cells. Results indicate that spatial relationships cannot be interpreted as causal. i.e., accumulations of bacterial cells in iron corrosion products cannot be simply interpreted as microbiologically influenced corrosion.