title: Effect of hydrogenase and mixed sulfate-reducing bacterial populations on the corrosion of steel.
abstract: The importance of hydrogenase activity to corrosion of steel was assessed by using mixed populations of sulfate-reducing bacteria isolated from corroded and noncorroded oil pipelines. Biofilms which developed on the steel studs contained detectable numbers of sulfate-reducing bacteria (10 increasing to 10/0.5 cm). However, the biofilm with active hydrogenase activity (i.e., corrosion pipeline organisms), as measured by a semiquantitative commercial kit, was associated with a significantly higher corrosion rate (7.79 mm/year) relative to noncorrosive biofilm (0.48 mm/year) with 10 sulfate-reducing bacteria per 0.5 cm but no measurable hydrogenase activity. The importance of hydrogenase and the microbial sulfate-reducing bacterial population making up the biofilm are discussed relative to biocorrosion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Laishley
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Costerton