Metabolites of an Oil Field Sulfide-Oxidizing, Nitrate-Reducing Sulfurimonas sp. Cause Severe Corrosion

• Sven Lahme ^[1] ; Dennis Enning ^[3] ; Cameron M. Callbeck ^[2] ; Demelza Menendez Vega ^[1] ; Thomas P. Curtis ^[1] ; Ian M. Head ^[1] ; Casey R. J. Hubert ^[4]
  1. [1] Newcastle University

     Newcastle University

     Reino Unido

     
  2. [2] Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

     Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

     Kreisfreie Stadt Bremen, Alemania

     
  3. [3] b ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Spring, Texas, USA
  4. [4] a School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; e Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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• Localización: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ISSN 0099-2240, Vol. 85, Nº 3, 2019
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Ambiguous reports of corrosion problems associated with the injection of nitrate for souring control necessitate a deeper understanding of this frequently applied bioengineering strategy. Sulfide-oxidizing, nitrate-reducing bacteria have been proposed as key culprits, despite the underlying microbial corrosion mechanisms remaining insufficiently understood. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of how individual metabolic intermediates of the microbial nitrogen and sulfur cycles can impact the integrity of carbon steel infrastructure. The results help explain the dramatic increases seen at times in corrosion rates observed during nitrate injection in field and laboratory trials and point to strategies for reducing adverse integrity-related side effects of nitrate-based souring mitigation.