Perspectives of microbiologically influenced corrosion mechanisms

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion is a major concern to a wide range of industries, with claims that it contributes 20% of the total annual corrosion cost. While there is moderate understanding of aerobic MIC mechanisms, the picture is les clear for anoxic conditions. Furthermore, complications arise due to divergent terminologies used by microbiologists and electrochemists, e.g. “anaerobic” and “direct electron transfer”, yet it is vital for these two fields to work together if we are to not only understand MIC, but also control / predict it without reverting to excessive use of toxic biocides. The focus of this presentation is to review proposed for MIC mechanisms, with particular emphasis on whether or not these make sense in terms of their electrochemistry.