Study on biological control of microbiologically induced corrosion of carbon steel

Abstract A strain of Thiobacillus Denitrificans (TD) isolated from the soil was selected to reduce the corrosion caused by Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB). The optimal pH was determined as 7.0 for the growth of TD. The growth environment of TD was found to be similar to that of SRB. Thus they can be cultured together. When they were grown together, it was observed that TD reduced the corrosion caused by SRB, being attributed to that TD might consume corrosive sulfides produced by SRB and restrict the SRB biofilms from accumulation. Scanning probe microscopy observations ex‐situ demonstrated that the topography of mixture biofilm formed in the mixed culture of TD and SRB was more compact than that for SRB along. Therefore, the process of charge transfer is baffled, leading to a decrease of the corrosion caused by SRB.