BIOCORROSION/BIODETERIATION/BIOFOULING OF COATED METALS

MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION (MIC) OF MOST INDUSTRIALLY UTILIZED ALLOYS, INCLUDING THOSE USED IN MANY NAVAL APPLICATIONS, IS WELL ESTABLISHED. MIC OF COATED AND CATHODICALLY PROTECTED MATERIALS IS ALSO WELL DOCUMENTED. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD EXAMINE THE ROLES OF NATURALLY OCCURRING MEMBERS OF MIC COMMUNITIES OTHER THAN BACTERIA; THE ALGAE, PROTOZOANS AND FUNGI IN MIC PROCESSES, INCLUDING DETERIORATION OF COATING AND CORROSION OF METALS. IT IS PROPOSED TO USE TRADITIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL AND METALLURGICAL ANALYSES FOR A PORTION OF THE TESTS. OTHER TESTS WILL BE DONE TO DETERMINE THE ABILITY OF CURRENT (IN ZRA CONFIGURATION) AND ELECTROCHEMICAL NOISE MEASUREMENTS TO GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT CORROSION RATES DUE TO MICROBES AND DIFFERENT METABOLIC ACTIVITIES (E.G., PHOTOSYNTHESIS VS. RESPIRATION, RECOGNIZABLE AS DIFFERENT ELECTROCHEMICAL NOISE PATTERNS). THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DEVICE WHICH CAN BE USED TO MONITOR MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THOSE IN MIC PROCESSES, IN AN ON-LINE, REAL-TIME MODE. THE DEVICE SHOULD BE SENSITIVE, INEXPENSIVE AND ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE MIC FROM OTHERFORMS OF CORROSION. SUCH A DEVICE WOULD ALLOW MIC TO BE MONITORED IN SUSCEPTIBLE SYSTEMS AND ALLOW MITIGATION MEASURES TO BE ASSESSED FOR EFFECTIVENESS WITHOUT HAVING TO PERFORM DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION.