Laboratory investigation of microbiologically influenced corrosion of Q235 carbon steel by halophilic archaea Natronorubrum tibetense

The influence of aerobic halophilic archaea Natronorubrum tibetense on the corrosion of Q235 carbon steel was investigated. In immersion tests, more serious corrosion was observed in the N. tibetense-inoculated medium than in the sterile medium. Compared with the uniform corrosion morphologies in the sterile medium, severe localized corrosion occurred in the inoculated medium. After 14 days of immersion, the presence of N. tibetense caused a weight loss of 0.051 g/cm(2) of the steel, which was about two times larger than that in sterile medium (0.026 g/cm(2)). The starved N. tibetense exhibited more aggressive MIC against the steel when organic sources were deficient.