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Deciphering microbial communities involved in marine steel corrosion using high-throughput amplicon sequencing
Biji Shibulal1, Martin Peter Smith1, Ian Cooper1
1School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK.
Environmental Microbiology Reports
|August 27, 2024
Summary
Bacterial communities, particularly sulfate-reducing microbes (SRBs), drive intertidal structure corrosion through biogenic sulfuric acid or electrochemical processes. A new rapid method identifies SRBs in corrosion samples.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Corrosion science
- Environmental biotechnology
Background:
- Intertidal structures face significant corrosion challenges.
- Bacterial communities are implicated in microbially influenced corrosion (MIC).
- Understanding microbial roles is crucial for material protection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify bacterial communities associated with intertidal corrosion.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of microbial corrosion at different UK coastal sites.
- To develop a rapid diagnostic method for sulfate-reducing microbes (SRBs).
Main Methods:
- Sampling of corrosion materials, sediment, and seawater from three UK coastal sites.
- Chemical analyses to detect microbial activity.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbial community profiling.
- Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) high-resolution melt curve analysis of the dsrB gene for SRB identification.
Main Results:
- Sulfate-reducing microbes (SRBs) were detected at Shoreham and Newhaven, but not Southend-on-Sea.
- Proteobacteria, Campilobacterota, Desulfobacterota, and Firmicutes were dominant bacterial phyla.
- Corrosion mechanisms varied: biogenic sulfuric acid at Shoreham/Newhaven, and electrochemical/enzymatic processes at Southend-on-Sea.
- A rapid qPCR method for SRB detection was successfully developed.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial communities, including SRBs and sulfur-oxidizing microbes, significantly contribute to intertidal corrosion.
- Distinct microbial corrosion mechanisms exist, influenced by local environmental conditions.
- The developed dsrB gene-based qPCR method offers a rapid and effective tool for diagnosing SRB involvement in corrosion.
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