Atmospheric Corrosion Influence in the Manufactured Processes of a Seafood Industry Located in Ensenada, Mexico

Abstract

The atmospheric corrosion presented in indoors of a seafood industry, generated aggressive environments and with this deterioration in steel cans used to can sardine and tuna food, which were corroded in the manufacturing processes of this industry evaluated. Even using metal containers with a special coating to can tuna and sardines and with the exposition of aggressive environments the deterioration of these cans was made, before being used for the container of tuna and sardines in the manufacturing areas. The air pollutants as sulfurs principally, which generated the aggressive environments penetrated through cracks and air conditioning systems to indoors of the seafood industry evaluated in Ensenada, promoting the corrosion process originated. The occurrence of corrosion in the seafood industry evaluated, increased the costs of the manufacturing processes for the necessity of takeoff the deterioration of steel cans corroded used to pack tuna and sardine in 45% of the steel cans received of an industry of United States, and around 35% of the steel cans used had to be replaced. This represented a decrease in competitiveness in this industrial company evaluated, presenting economic losses, caused by presence the air pollution of Ensenada, which generated the deterioration in steel cans, being originated principally sulfurs of cars and chloride ions of sea breeze. Recently in this city of the northwest of the Mexican Republic, the indices of air pollutants emitted by the traffic vehicle, are increased and overpass the air quality standards (AQS), determined by the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT-Mexico) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-USA). For this reason an analysis of the atmospheric corrosion in indoors of a seafood industry located in Ensenada city, was made to identify the aggressive agents that reacted with the metallic surface of steel cans used to can tuna and sardine, with micro evaluation with technique of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and nano analysis with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) method. The investigation was made in 2019.