The Effect of Desulfovibrio sp. Biofilms on Corrosion Behavior of Copper in Sulfide-Containing Solutions

This study aims to detect the effect of Desulfovibrio sp. on copper in terms of biofilm formation and corrosion in 722 h. In that way, appropriate strategies to inhibit microbiological corrosion in copper systems with Desulfovibrio sp. can be evaluated. For this purpose, experiments were performed in 1 L glass model system containing 28 copper coupons and pure culture of the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) strain Desulfovibrio sp. in Postgate's medium C. Also, a control system with copper coupons but without Desulfovibrio sp. containing sterile Postgate's medium was studied concurrently with the test system. The test coupons were collected from systems at certain time intervals, namely 24, 168, 360, and 720 h. The samples were then subjected to several characterization analyses such as measurement of Desulfovibrio sp. numbers, corrosion resistance, EPS extraction, carbohydrate analysis, SEM, and EDS. During the experiments, the maximum Desulfovibrio sp. count in biofilm samples was found at 360 h. Carbohydrate and copper concentrations in biofilm were increased over time. EDS analysis revealed Cu, S, C, O, and Cl peaks on the surface of the samples. For the control coupons, only Cu peaks were observed. The results obtained from this study showed that copper was corroded by Desulfovibrio sp. in the model system under laboratory conditions

Effect of Mixed-Species Biofilm on Copper Surfaces in Cooling Water System

This study aimed to investigate the formation and effect of a biofilm on copper heat exchangers in full-scale system conditions. A modified Pedersen device with copper coupons was installed in parallel to a heat exchanger system to investigate several physico-chemical parameters, such as bacterial enumeration, carbohydrate content of exopolymeric substances, weight loss of test/control coupons, Cu concentrations, and corrosion products over ten months. Findings of this study showed that planktonic bacterial cells attach to each other and form a mixed-species biofilm on the copper coupon surface even though copper is toxic to a variety of microorganisms. These results also revealed that the mixed-species biofilm has a corrosive effect on copper surfaces used in cooling water systems despite the presence of biocide and the corrosion inhibitor. Additionally, it was demonstrated that a shock-dosed biocide application increased the corrosion rate on copper surface in a real system. Preventing risk of microbiologically influenced corrosion entails appropriate material selection and proper/regular chemical treatment of cooling systems. The current study provides useful insights through the evaluation of corrosion of materials with microbiological techniques