Abstract
This study examined the early stages of tarnishing of American Iron Steel Institute (AISI) 304L austenitic stainless steel (SS) condenser tubes in contact with running freshwater from the Tagus River in Spain. The immersion time of the tubes was 569 days. Tarnishing originated by biofouling was assessed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses in conjunction with argon ion sputtering. The EIS diagrams showed a semicircle that was better defined as the experimental time increased, indicating the decreasing tarnishing resistance of the immersed specimens. The EIS results were validated using Kramers–Kronig relationships. SEM micrographs of biofouling indicated that the number of microorganisms on the SS surfaces increased with immersion time. According to the XPS spectra, the main elements deposited on the tarnished AISI 304L SS layer were calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. A mechanism of biofouling and microbiologically influenced corrosion behavior of AISI 304L SS condenser tubes in freshwater is proposed.
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