1 research outputs found
Remedial Treatment of Corroded Iron Objects by Environmental Aeromonas Isolates
Using bacteria to transform reactive corrosion products into stable compounds
represents an alternative to traditional methods employed in iron conservation.
Two environmental Aeromonas strains (CA23 and CU5) were used to transform
ferric iron corrosion products (goethite and lepidocrocite) into stable ferrous ironbearing
minerals (vivianite and siderite). A genomic and transcriptomic approach
was used to analyze the metabolic traits of these strains and to evaluate their
pathogenic potential. Although genes involved in solid-phase iron reduction were
identified, key genes present in other environmental iron-reducing species are missing
from the genome of CU5. Several pathogenicity factors were identified in the
genomes of both strains, but none of these was expressed under iron reduction
conditions. Additional in vivo tests showed hemolytic and cytotoxic activities for
strain CA23 but not for strain CU5. Both strains were easily inactivated using ethanol
and heat. Nonetheless, given a lesser potential for a pathogenic lifestyle, CU5 is the
most promising candidate for the development of a bio-based iron conservation
method stabilizing iron corrosion. Based on all the results, a prototype treatment
was established using archaeological items. On those, the conversion of reactive corrosion
products and the formation of a homogenous layer of biogenic iron minerals
were achieved. This study shows how naturally occurring microorganisms and their
metabolic capabilities can be used to develop bio-inspired solutions to the problem
of metal corrosion