Iron corrosion by novel anaerobic microorganisms

Corrosion of iron presents a serious economic problem. Whereas aerobic corrosion is a chemical process 1 , anaerobic corrosion is frequently linked to the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 . SRB are supposed to act upon iron primarily by produced hydrogen sulphide as a c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature (London) Vol. 427; no. 6977; pp. 829 - 832
Main Authors:	Dinh, Hang T., Kuever, Jan, Mußmann, Marc, Hassel, Achim W., Stratmann, Martin, Widdel, Friedrich
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.02.2004 Nature Publishing Nature Publishing Group
Subjects:	Anaerobiosis Archaea Bacteria Bacteria, Anaerobic - classification Bacteria, Anaerobic - cytology Bacteria, Anaerobic - genetics Bacteria, Anaerobic - metabolism Biodeterioration. Biofouling Biological and medical sciences Biotechnology Corrosion Desulfobacterium Desulfovibrio Desulfovibrio - classification Desulfovibrio - cytology Desulfovibrio - genetics Desulfovibrio - metabolism Electrons Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Geologic Sediments - chemistry Geologic Sediments - microbiology Humanities and Social Sciences Hydrogen Hydrogen - metabolism Hydrogen sulfide Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects Iron Iron - chemistry Iron - metabolism letter Marine Metals Methanobacterium Microorganisms Molecular Sequence Data multidisciplinary North Sea Oxidation-Reduction Phylogeny RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics Science Science (multidisciplinary) Sulfate reduction Sulfates Sulfates - metabolism North Sea Biodeterioration Sulfate-reducing bacteria Iron Anaerobe
ISSN:	0028-0836, 1476-4687, 1476-4687
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Corrosion of iron presents a serious economic problem. Whereas aerobic corrosion is a chemical process 1 , anaerobic corrosion is frequently linked to the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 . SRB are supposed to act upon iron primarily by produced hydrogen sulphide as a corrosive agent 3 , 5 , 7 and by consumption of ‘cathodic hydrogen’ formed on iron in contact with water 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 . Among SRB, Desulfovibrio species—with their capacity to consume hydrogen effectively—are conventionally regarded as the main culprits of anaerobic corrosion 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ; however, the underlying mechanisms are complex and insufficiently understood. Here we describe novel marine, corrosive types of SRB obtained via an isolation approach with metallic iron as the only electron donor. In particular, a Desulfobacterium -like isolate reduced sulphate with metallic iron much faster than conventional hydrogen-scavenging Desulfovibrio species, suggesting that the novel surface-attached cell type obtained electrons from metallic iron in a more direct manner than via free hydrogen. Similarly, a newly isolated Methanobacterium -like archaeon produced methane with iron faster than do known hydrogen-using methanogens, again suggesting a more direct access to electrons from iron than via hydrogen consumption.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0028-0836 1476-4687 1476-4687
DOI:	10.1038/nature02321