Open Access

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), also known as biocorrosion, is a process where microbes corrode metal surfaces causing detrimental damage to manmade infrastructure. Several studies, mainly under anaerobic conditions, have identified sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens as key players in biocorrosion. However, an important issue is that most MIC-related microbes at the moment are non-culturable. In addition, improved technologies (i.e., omics, biochemical, and microscopy methods) are needed to study, detect, simulate, and modulate MIC-related cases. Therefore, the selection of strains that can cause MIC, are culturable, and are genetically accessible, are of high importance for establishing new methods to study MIC on the molecular level. For example, the archaeal strain Methanobacterium IM1 has caught great attention due to its involvement in biocorrosion processes. Genes encoding for a novel enzyme (MIC NiFe-hydrogenase) have been proposed in this methanogen to be directly related to the e

Vorstellung des vor kurzen angelaufenen EU-Projekts: COST ACTION EURO MIC ( CA20130). Die BAM hat hierbei die Rolle des Chairs sowie Grant-Holding Institute. COST fördert internationale Netzwerk Aktivitäten. Durch COST Action können neue Kooperationen (Industrie, Akademie oder Politk) entstehen.

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.

Mikrobiell beeinflusste Korrosion (MIC) ist ein Themenfeldprojekt innerhalb der BAM. Das Spektrum der Materialien und der Organismen ist ernorm. In dem Themenfeldprojekt MIC wurden ausgewählte Bereiche tiefergehend untersucht. In der Präsentation werden die Hauptschwerpunkte dargestellt.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of iron is usually attributed to sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) in offshore industries, such as the oil and gas pipelines, due to the high concentrations of sulfate in the seawater. SRM act upon the metal by the reactiveness of hydrogen sulfide (HS-), and by withdrawal of the available electrons (Fe --> Fe2+ + 2e-; E° = -0.47 V) in electrical contact with the metal (EMIC). However, methanogenic archaea can also cause MIC. Because they do not produce HS-, withdrawal of electrons may be their main corrosive mechanism; however, mechanistic details and kinetics of the overall process are poorly understood. To investigate the corrosion potential of methanogens, we studied the EMIC methanogenic strains isolated from marine sediments (Methanobacterium-affiliated strain IM1) and crude oil tanks (Methanococcus maripaludis Mic1c10), in an in-house developed flow-through cell to simulate a fluctuating environment. A co-culture of M. maripaludis and D. alaskensis was also established to study the effect of syntrophic growth on metal corrosion that may occur in industrial pipelines. Results indicate that the rates of iron corrosion due to coupled methanogenesis (up to 0.4 mm/yr) are higher to that caused by the marine SRM Desulfovibrio alaskensis (0.15 mm/yr). Surface analyses of the metal showed severe pitting with high methane production. Genomic analysis of the EMIC methanogen M. maripaludis Mic1c10 will provide an insight on the mechanisms of MIC. Such knowledge and deeper understanding also from an electrokinetic point of view may not only provide further models in microbial electrophysiology, but also contribute to mitigation strategies in MIC.zeige weniger