Micans lectured on microbial corrosion at 'Pålkommissionens' annual meeting

When Gallionella and sulphate-reducing bacteria are working together they dissolve the steel which then corrodes at least twice as fast as earlier estimates without microbes argues. Karsten Pedersen from Micans explained how and why microorganisms corrode steel and other metals to an interested crowd of Annual Meeting participants of Pålkommissionen (http://www.palkommissionen.org/ ).

Microbial corrosion can be particularly aggressive in the water line where a varying water level supplies molecular oxygen from
air to the iron sulfide that microorganisms form. This sulphide is converted by molecular oxygen into sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid effectively dissolves the steel. Photo: Micans