Special Topic

Microbial corrosion: An explanation of MIC

Part one of two
In many industries today, not enough is known about microbial corrosion, other-
wise known as microbiologically-influenced corrosion, or MIC. Is it a regular type
of corrosion? Is it a type of electrochemical corrosion? What can be done to stop
it from happening? Not enough engineers know the answers to these important
questions.

Stainless Steel World Americas had the unique opportunity to speak to Reza Java-
herdashti, an International Referee on Corrosion Disputes, and a Corrosion Trainer,
about the phenomena known as MIC. In part one of this two-part article, Javaher-
dashti speaks about microbial corrosion, biofilms, and what can make a material
or environment more susceptible to MIC.

By Brittani Schroeder
Figure 2. From Dr. Reza Javaherdashti's Collection.

Reza Javaherdashti started working have more than 5,000 hours of training The micro or macro organisms could The third factor would be the avail-
in the industrial sector over 30 years experience in various end-use indus- be bacteria, archaea, algae, or fungi. He ability of nutrients for the bacteria to
ago. When he graduated from univer- tries around the globe, from power and continues, “Some professionals define feed on. The fourth parameter is the
sity, Javaherdashti realized that one of energy, to the chemical, oil and gas, and MIC in terms of bacteria only, but it is hydrodynamics of the fluid. “If the wa-
the most prominent problems in several aviation industries.” important to define it in terms of other ter can be referred to as stagnant, then
end-use industries is the impact of de- types of organisms as well.” the likelihood of MIC occurring will be
preciation, and how it limits the func- Javaherdashti was drawn to cor- quite high,” Javaherdashti says.
tionality of equipment. The common rosion training because he felt there From a morphological point of view,
term for this would be ‘aging’. “As equip- were knowledge gaps that needed to MIC demonstrates itself mostly as Biofilms
ment is put into service, it becomes be filled in. “There have been a lot of pitting; in stainless steels specifical-
increasingly vulnerable, until one day misunderstandings about MIC, both in ly, MIC can appear as patterns re- Bacteria can be found in two states
it will have to be taken out of service,” the proper recognition of MIC and how sembling ‘tiger stripes’. An important in any fluid. They can either be freely
says Javaherdashti. “Certain bacteria to define it and treat it,” relays Javaher- note, however, is that pitting can be flowing, which is referred to as ‘plank-
present on equipment can accelerate dashti. “I wanted to reach out to sev- caused by non-MIC corrosion as well. tonic’, or they can be motionless and,
the process of aging, and this is what we eral industries to share my knowledge “In the 1980s, there was a firm belief literally speaking, stuck on the sur-
refer to as microbial corrosion.” about corrosion, so that people are that some pitting morphologies were faces, being referred to as ‘sessile’.
able to determine if their equipment unique to MIC. This is not the case, and When bacteria can find their required
Javaherdashti has a double degree is experiencing corrosion, or MIC, and luckily nowadays we are more con- nutrients in the bulk solution, they can
in Metallurgical Engineering and Ma- prescribe the correct treatment.” servative in our beliefs. We must first sense if there is food available and if
terial Science. He completed both his find the ways by which we can prove there are also other bacteria around.
PhD and post-doctoral studies on mi- What is microbial corrosion? the case is MIC, and only then use the When the nutrients start disappearing
crobial corrosion (MIC), specifically on pitting as supportive evidence,” says from the bulk solution, the bacteria re-
MIC in stainless steels. He continues, In order to explain MIC, it first needs Javaherdashti. alize they must search for the nutrients
“I have performed electrochemical, to be defined as a type of electrochem- somewhere else. This will encourage
mechanical, and biological tests on ical corrosion, and not a type of corro- Prone to MIC bacteria to 'land on' surfaces and start
various metals, and I was part of the sion, since these two are very different to establish bacteria communities. As
pioneering team of investigators who from each other. “When we say that There are a few parameters that if these communities mature, they are
studied the effect of bacteria on stress MIC is electrochemical corrosion, we present in a system – in addition to referred to ‘biofilm’, and this process is
corrosion cracking (SCC) in stainless imply that the factors that encourage the necessary condition of liquid wa- called ‘biofilm formation’. The plank-
steels.” Since then, Javaherdashti has its occurrence are the same as those ter acting both as an electrolyte and tonic bacteria settle on surfaces and
dedicated his professional life to study- that would encourage a non-MIC elec- a media – bacteria can survive, and develop chemical structures that are
ing two things: corrosion management trochemical corrosion to happen. There will make the system more receptive referred to as extra polymer substance
and its principles, and MIC and its man- are at least three factors that need to of MIC. The first parameter is tem- (EPS). “For a regular observer, this EPS
agement. be present: the anode—the metal that perature, and there are three general would look like slime,” Javaherdashti
is highly likely to give off electrons, the categories of temperatures that bac- explains. “As the bacteria develop the
Javaherdashti is certified to run train- cathode—the metal that receives the teria can adopt themselves to. Ther- EPS structures, the biofilm grows and
ing courses on MIC by both the Amer- electrons, and electrolyte—the media mophilic bacteria prefer temperatures starts acting as a living net to help
ican Society of Mechanical Engineers through which ions will be able to move above 60°C; mesophilic bacteria prefer the bacteria get enough nutrients, and
(ASME) and the Society of Petroleum around,” explains Javaherdashti. If cer- ‘room-temperature’, between 20°C to protects the bacteria from threatening
Engineers (SPE). “I have been involved in tain microorganisms—or macro organ- 40°C; and psychrophiles are capable of factors that could exist outside the bio-
more than 300 troubleshooting projects isms—are capable of establishing an- being active at very low temperatures. film, such as metallic ions that have a
and have authored/co-authored seven odes, cathodes, and electrolytes, then “If the system is working at what we toxic effect on bacteria, or ‘anti-bacte-
reference books on MIC,” he says. “I also the problem being experienced is MIC. call ‘ambient temperatures’, it is highly rial’ chemicals called biocide.”
probable that there will be a high risk of
MIC,” explains Javaherdashti. During corrosion, metals lose their
electrons and subsequently bear positive-
The second parameter is pH levels. ly-charged ions. These positively-charged
Bacteria can survive within certain ions attract negatively-charged bacteria,
ranges of pH. Typically, very high pH and due to these electrostatic forces, the
values do not kill bacteria, which is bacteria would also be attracted to the
a major misconception. The thought metals. This, again, forces the bacteria to
that increasing the pH will kill bacteria reach out for nutrient sources, and con-
is false, as it will only numb the bac- tributes to the biofilm.
teria – which means they will be inac-
tive, but this does not mean that the “I would say biofilm is not the cor-
bacteria is dead. For example, sulfur rect term to use,” says Javaherdashti.
oxidizing bacteria can live in a pH val- “I would instead call it terminus, which
ue of 1, and sulfate reducing bacteria is a Greek word that addresses an area
Figure 1. Courtesy of R. Javaherdashti, "Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion-An Engineering Im- can live within a pH value of 5 to 9.5. that is cut off from the outside. The
pact", Springer, 2nd Edition, 2017.

6 Stainless Steel World Americas - June 2020 | www.ssw-americas.com


biofilm is neither purely biological,
nor a film. Biofilms appear more as
a patchy and non-uniform structure
than a typical film.” Figure 1 shows
examples of how biofilms can grow on
steel. The left side of Figure 1 depicts
a biofilm formed by sulfate-reducing
bacteria (SRB), and the right depicts a
biofilm formed by iron-reducing bac-
teria (IRB). “The left side of Figure 1
we can see the very patchy, non-uni-
form nature of the biofilm, along with
all types of elements that can be found
in these structures.”
The consequences
As Javaherdashti says, “The impor-
tance of anything can be defined as a
function of two parameters: cost and
consequences. The cost of corrosion is
normally between 1% to 6% of the gross
domestic product (GDP) of any given
country. Typically, it will hang around
5%. When we talk about MIC cost, it
can jump up to 40% – if not more, de-
pending how well aware the operators
are about MIC and how to control it.
That could add up to billions of dollars
in any given country.”
The consequences can be divided
into two categories: waste of time/en-
ergy, and environmental impacts. “If
a piece of equipment fails due to MIC,
you may have to repair it or completely
replace it, which takes time and mon-
ey,” explains Javaherdashti. “In 2006,
a large oil pipeline in Alaska leaked
800.345.7546 • 814.542.2545
814.542.9977 fax
www.bonneyforge.com
more than 200,000 barrels of oil, and
it was due to microbial agents (bacte-
ria). Many hydrostatic-tested pipelines
can also fail due to microbial corro-
sion.” Due to lack of training on MIC,
engineers in many industries fail to
recognize MIC, which can lead to di-
sastrous outcomes. This is why Reza
Javaherdashti has dedicated his career
to training others as well.
Proper environments
MIC can become a problem in almost
all industries where water is being used
in its liquid form, and the temperature
and pH levels are appropriate for bac-
teria to grow. If the linear velocity of the
water is below 1.5 meters per second and
is in contact with rough surfaces – which
could include surfaces made rough from
welding – MIC is highly likely to develop.
Therefore, one would not need to look for
MIC in dry environments. “I will not con-
sider MIC in places where water is not in
its liquid form, or superheated conditions
where there may only be superheated va-
por. Instead, I would consider it in environ-
ments near the sea, or a river, because this
can support MIC,” says Javaherdashti. “I
would also look at the air quality in the
area, because bacteria can be transferred
via air and can settle themselves onto
steel structures and are likely to induce
corrosion, with the aid of moisture in the
atmosphere as an electrolyte.”
According to Javaherdashti, the main
industries affected by MIC are pipelines
Special Topic
Figure 3. From Dr. Reza Javaherdashti's Collection.
in oil and gas – upstream and down-
stream, onshore and offshore – assets
in contact with water in all types of ther-
mal power plants, desalination units,
water and wastewater treatment facil-
ities, ports and marine structures. “In
many industries, people misdiagnose
MIC and non-MIC corrosion. When we
talk about MIC, we need to remember
that it is a form of corrosion that is sup-
ported by the action of living, intelligent
agents (bacteria and others) that have
been around for longer than humans.
Therefore, treatment needs to be han-
dled carefully.”
Metal grades and equipment
Many types of metals can be at-
tacked by microbial corrosion. Aus-
tenitic 304 stainless steel is regard-
ed as the least resistible stainless
steel to MIC, most likely due to its
low molybdenum content. “This does
not mean that other stainless steels
are not susceptible to MIC,” says Ja-
vaherdashti. In his own studies, Ja-
vaherdashti has discovered that IRB
can affect the performance of 2205
duplex stainless steel, and bacteria
can also affect 316L stainless steel.
“When speaking in general terms, I
would say that all engineering mate-
rials, whether it is ferrous or non-fer-
rous, metallic or non-metallic, are
highly susceptible to MIC.”
In Figures 2 and 3, MIC can be seen
on two assets made of 316L stainless
steel. Both have been affected by the
corrosive effect of sulfur oxidizing bac-
teria. In both cases, the material has
Make sure to read part two of ‘Microbial corrosion:
An explanation of MIC’ in the August 2020 issue of
Stainless Steel World Americas!
Stainless Steel World Americas - June 2020 | www.ssw-americas.com
been corroded quite badly. Both come
from Javaherdashti’s own cases.
When discussing what types of
equipment are at risk of MIC, Javaher-
dashti says it could be anything from
heat exchangers, to pumps, valves,
flow lines and the like. “Almost any-
thing that is exposed to liquid water,
and has an appropriate temperature
and pH level, and is relatively stagnant,
can experience MIC. This also applies
to tanks, pipelines, water systems, and
ballast tanks.”
There are two common approach-
es to corrosion. First, is the sys-
tems-based approach, and the other is
a materials-based approach. The sys-
tems-based approach concentrates on
the equipment. “For example, an engi-
neer may want to know if in a certain
equipment, such as a heat exchanger,
pump, valve, or pipeline, MIC could pres-
ent itself. As noted, it is the systems that
are of concern here. In contrast, the ma-
terials-based approach discusses the
materials that are at higher risk of MIC,”
Javaherdashti states. “If I, as a corro-
sion expert, know under what condi-
tions a specific stainless steel grade can
corrode, then it does not matter what in-
dustry or what equipment this particular
material is being used in.” The industry
and equipment would only dictate the
working conditions imposed on the ma-
terial. Therefore, as long as corrosion
experts understand the conditions like-
ly to lead to facilitating the corrosion of
a particular material, the industry and
equipment in which the material is being
used, come second in importance.
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