Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

Definition

Microbiologically influenced corrosion is corrosion driven or accelerated by bacteria, fungi, and algae that bond to metal surfaces and alter local chemistry. It combines biofilm-driven under-deposit attack with a living anode factory.

Organisms form rigid biofilms that aid under-deposit corrosion and then create their own supercharger by altering local chemistry through their metabolism. Sulfate-reducing bacteria and iron-oxidizing bacteria are particularly damaging, producing sulfides, acids, and other byproducts that aggressively destabilize metal surfaces. The result is under-deposit corrosion intensified, localized, aggressive, and often accompanied by a telltale sulfur smell.

Related concepts

Tubercle · Iron Oxidation and Precipitation · The Four Pillars

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🦠 biology