Steel samples before and after microbiologically influenced corrosion in a Petri dish
Source: BAM
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) processes are causing significant damage to industry and the environment, but effective protection against them is not yet known. MIC is a type of corrosion caused by the presence of microorganisms on the surface of a material. These microorganisms, for example, directly use electrons from a steel/alloy for their metabolism or produce chemicals that can corrode metals. This leads to structural damage and weakening of the material, e.g. in harbors, on oil pipelines or wind turbines. It is difficult to prevent or control MIC. Therefore, it is important to monitor metal structures regularly. MIC is particularly common in damp or wet environments in the absence of oxygen, where special bacteria, archaea and other microorganisms can thrive. Archaea are tiny organisms found on Earth that are genetically distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes. A typical example is the corrosive methanogenic strain Methanobacterium-affiliated IM1, which was examined for this study.
The paper of the month presented here focuses on method development to more accurately characterize the processes involved in MIC to develop preventive protective measures in the future. Compared to other well-characterized organisms, the analysis of archaea at the single cell level is extremely rare. Here, for the first time, inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ICP-ToF-MS) was used in a single cell mode to study MIC processes. The analysis of single cells enables the elucidation of mechanisms that may not be visible when studying a population of cells. Among other things, the possible metabolization of individual elements by IM1 from various steel samples was investigated. The results show that the cells respond to different types of added elements and have the ability to interact with trace or minor elements such as chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt and molybdenum from solid steel surfaces. The developed method expands the analytical possibilities for studying steel-MIC interactions. Information at the level of individual microorganisms can be used in the future to develop new material protection concepts.
Beyond corrosion: Development of a single cell-ICP-ToF-MS method to uncover the process of microbiologically influenced corrosion
A. E. Olbrich, B. A. A. Stepec, N. Wurzler, E. C. Terol, A. Koerdt, B. Meermann, Metallomics 2022, 14, 11, mfac083, https://doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfac083
BAM division Analytical Chemistry; Reference Materials
BAM department Inorganic Trace Analysis
BAM department Chemical and Optical Sensing
BAM division Materials and the Environment
BAM department Biodeterioration and Reference Organisms
BAM division Materials Chemistry
BAM department Interfacial Processes and Corrosion