Corrosion of Ferrous metals in Batch Cultures of Nitrate-Reducingu Bacteria

Abstract

The corrosion of an iron/carbon alloy has been investigated in short-term experiments in batch cultures of the bacterium Escherichia coli grown in media containing two concentrations of nitrate and in a nitrate-free medium. The growth of the organism was also investigated in the above media but in the absence of metal samples. The results show that growth is affected by the presence of the metal and that the principal cause of corrosion is the formation of metabolic organic acids. The nitrite produced by bacterial reduction of the nitrate reacts with the metal to form a protective film.