Why is microbial control becoming so important?

November 25, 2020 •Corrosion CONTROLLED, Corrosion Essentials, MIC

Water/treatment infrastructure• Maritime industry• Energy industry• Microbiologically influenced corrosion-MIC• Biodeterioration of materials

What is Microbiologically Induced Corrosion (MIC)

Microbiologically influenced corrosion is corrosion caused by the presence and activities of microorganisms in biofilms on the surface of the corroding material – a problem that threatens assets in many industries, including oil and gas, water and wastewater, and maritime.

And while microalgae, bacteria, and fungi do not produce unique types of corrosion, they can accelerate corrosion reactions or shift corrosion mechanisms.

MIC can occur as an independent corrosion mechanism or in conjunction with other corrosion mechanisms, which presents challenges to implementing effective corrosion management of systems in which it is a threat. Rarely can suspected MIC be confirmed without evidence from multiple analysis techniques and sciences, making it difficult to confirm as the cause.

Why is microbial control becoming so important?

Ken Wunch, energy technology advisor at DuPont Microbial Control, discusses the growing concerns in 2020 related to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). In the podcast below, he addresses such topics as:

• why microbial corrosion is a critical issue for the energy industry;

• new concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lower oil prices; and

• emerging technologies that could offer microbial control solutions.

More corrosion control insights in these FREE newsletters from NACE: WaterCorr, Maritime News, and Infrastructure News.

Source: Materials Performance Podcast Interview Series.

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