TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - The impact and potential of halophilic microorganisms on alternative fuels N2 - As more industrial interests focusing on using salt caverns and repurposed gas or petroleum reservoirs for alternative fuel storage, i.e. CO2/H2, the question raises whether microorganisms may impact the infrastructure, gas purity and storage condition over time. Environments with high salinity (> 1.5 Meq of NaCl) are resided by halophiles (salt-loving microorganisms). To compensate for the intensive osmotic stress, they have resorted to two main adaptation strategies: 1) production of compatible solutes and 2) accumulation of intracellular KCl. Microbial community analysis of several high salinity environments revealed a number of recurring genera, including Halomonas and Halanaerobium. However, the impact of halophiles on the overall integrity and stability of the storage facilities remain largely unknown. To evaluate the suitability and stability of saline storage facilities, several model halophilic microorganisms, such as members of Halomonas, will be selected as testing subjects. First, the impact of halophiles on the infrastructure will be determined using an integrative approach by combining a number of techniques, including electrochemistry, TOF-SIMS, SEM/FIB/EDS and FIB-TEM. Second, the abilities of halophiles to alter the fuel composition (i.e. increase/decrease the fractions of H2) will be monitored using gas chromatography by growing them under high pressure. As a result of climate change and the accompanying mandatory shift to renewable energy resources, microorganisms will continue to play an important role in the energy sector, both to their benefit and detriment. Thus, it is important to achieve a certain level of understanding regarding the activities and mechanisms of halophiles prior to large-scaled excursions. T2 - ISMOS-8 CY - Online meeting DA - 07.06.2021 KW - Microbiologically influenced corrosion KW - Hydrogen KW - Gas storage KW - Contamination PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52891 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Exploring Microbial Impacts on Hydrogen Storage: - A Novel System for Corrosion Testing of Gas- and Material Degradation N2 - Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is a strategic step towards implementing the hydrogen economy. Achieving the required infrastructure by 2050 necessitates advancements in hydrogen-dedicated assets and the evaluation of existing infrastructure. The unique conditions in UHS require an experimental set-up to simulate UHS operating conditions, which allows to assess the readiness of current storage and transmission for hydrogen, and develop new technologies for material-resistance, operational-simulations, and risk-assessments. In addition to the physical/chemical conditions in UHS (e.g., salinity, hydrogen concentration, operating temperature/-pressure, water content), biological threats must also be considered. Therefore, we present here a high-pressure-set-up, developed for research/-industrial testing purposes. Currently, UHS-experiments for microbiologically-influenced-corrosion (MIC) are performed in standard autoclaves with relatively high volumes/pressures; they were primarily designed for material-specific investigations. While these methods provided some useful information for biological questions, they had significant limitations. The novel UHS-simulation-set-up presented here is designed with a controlled independently temperature and pressure. Field samples can be used to mimic geology, water chemistry, construction materials, and microbiological conditions. Most significant advantages of the set-up are: 1. It allows for liquid addition during the test, enabling the study of biocides or the evaluation of operating setups. 2. It permits liquid/-gas sampling during the test, allowing for more efficient monitoring of testing conditions and a better understanding of the process over time. Additionally, a low-release function is added, which is particularly important for studying MIC to avoid negative side effects, on the material (e.g. polymers/corrosion product-layer/cells itself) which might occur due to the fast pressure release T2 - ISMOS10 CY - Nashville, TN, USA DA - 11.08.2025 KW - MIC KW - MISTRAL KW - Corrosion KW - Environmental simulation KW - Metall KW - Polymer PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64297 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Mikrobielle Einflüsse auf Wasserstoffspeicherung: Materialien, Abbauprozesse und Teststrategien N2 - Wasserstoff gilt als Schlüsseltechnologie für die Energiewende – doch seine sichere Anwendung stellt neue Anforderungen an Technik, Infrastruktur und Personal. Die Veranstaltung „H₂ Sicherheit“ bietet eine umfassende Plattform, um sich über die sicherheitsrelevanten Aspekte von Wasserstoff zu informieren und praxisnahe Lösungen kennenzulernen. Expert:innen aus Forschung, Industrie und Netzbetrieb geben Einblicke in aktuelle Entwicklungen, Herausforderungen und Best Practices. Fokus dieser Präsentation war der Mikrobielle Einfluss bei der unterirdischen Speicherung von Wasserstoff und das neuartige Testsystem (MISTRAL) T2 - DVGW- H₂ Sicherheit CY - Online meeting DA - 24.03.2026 KW - Wasserstoff KW - Unterirdische geologische Formationen KW - MISTRAL KW - MIC KW - Hochdruckbehälter KW - Biokorrosion PY - 2026 UR - https://www.dvgw-kongress.de/veranstaltungen/gas/h2-sicherheit#collapse-8103 AN - OPUS4-65810 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Methanogenic Archaea as Drivers of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion N2 - Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) poses a significant threat to metallic infrastructure across sectors—from energy and marine environments to cultural heritage conservation and emerging technologies such as underground hydrogen storage (UHS). Methanogenic archaea have emerged as key contributors to corrosion under anaerobic conditions, capable of directly interacting with metal surfaces via extracellular electron transfer. This presentation provides an overview of our recent work on identifying, characterizing, and mitigating MIC caused by methanogens. We focus on the genetic differentiation of methanogenic strains, highlighting a novel class of [Ni/Fe]-hydrogenases identified exclusively in corrosive methanogens to date. These enzymes may serve as molecular markers for MIC risk assessment due to their unique sequence and functional properties. Additionally, we explore strain-specific differences in hydrogenase glycosylation and correlate these with observed variations in corrosion severity, biofilm formation, microbial surface interactions, and potentially enzyme stability. These findings suggest glycosylation may play a previously underappreciated role in MIC dynamics. To mitigate MIC, we investigate polyoxometalate-based (POM) coatings—originally developed for protecting stone-based artifacts—which we now apply to metal surfaces. These multifunctional coatings effectively inhibit biofilm formation and microbial activity, offering a promising strategy for corrosion control. Furthermore, we have developed customized test systems that simulate realistic environmental conditions, including high-pressure settings and dynamic flow regimes with varying velocities. These platforms allow for controlled evaluation of microbial corrosion under conditions relevant to underground hydrogen storage and marine environments, where salinity, pressure, and microbial activity interact. Our findings demonstrate that integrating molecular diagnostics, surface engineering, and advanced simulation platforms provides new insights into MIC mechanisms and opens avenues for predictive diagnostics and sustainable corrosion control strategies in industrial applications. T2 - Annual Conference of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 22.03.2026 KW - MIC KW - Microbiologically influenced corrosion KW - Laboratory testing KW - [Ni/Fe]-hydrogenase KW - Hochdruckbehälter KW - Biocorrosion PY - 2026 UR - https://programme.conventus.de/en/vaam-2026/program/program-points/6b386376-ad06-4ac3-af22-c1c663316939 AN - OPUS4-65812 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -