Microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) is promoted by the presence and/or activities of microorganisms including bacteria and archaea. The corrosion induced by microbial activity could be due to the area being more anodic than the surrounding area that has not been colonized by microbes. However, this mechanism is difficult to validate because of experimental challenges in conducting electrochemical testing through two bridged cells, one of which contains bacteria and the other remaining free of bacterial growth.

In this study, a dual cell electrochemical testing system was developed to investigate MIC and corrosion growth rate under anaerobic bacteria growth. This test system consists of two test cells which are electrolytically connected through a bridge containing an ion exchange membrane that can prevent bacteria migration. One of the test cells was inoculated with a bacterial consortium under investigation, and the other cell remained free of microbial growth during the test. The results from this study indicated that this test system was successful in generating an environment for investigating MIC mechanisms and collecting corrosion growth rate data for MIC model development.

Subject
Cathodes, Anode potential, Electrochemical cells, Bacterial growth, Corrosion currents, Corrosion rate, Cathodic potential, Galvanic cathodes, Anode surfaces, Bacteria, Electrodes, Concentration cells, Anodes
Keywords:
Microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC), carbon steel, electrochemical test, biogas, pipeline, linear polarization resistance (LPR), corrosion rate
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2013
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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