Abstract
Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are dominant species causing corrosion of various types of materials. However, they also play a beneficial role in bioremediation due to their tolerance of extreme pH conditions. The application of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in bioremediation and control methods for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in extreme pH environments requires an understanding of the microbial activities in these conditions. Recent studies have found that in order to survive and grow in high alkaline/acidic condition, SRB have developed several strategies to combat the environmental challenges. The strategies mainly include maintaining pH homeostasis in the cytoplasm and adjusting metabolic activities leading to changes in environmental pH. The change in pH of the environment and microbial activities in such conditions can have a significant impact on the microbial corrosion of materials. These bacteria strategies to combat extreme pH environments and their effect on microbial corrosion are presented and discussed.
Highlights
Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a group of microorganisms that utilise sulphate as a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration
Environmental pH is one of the main factors that strongly influences microbial metabolic activities and bacterial communities [1,2]. pH affects bacterial metabolism through different ways, including changing environmental conditions for bacteria growth, affecting bacterial extracellular enzyme activities, disturbing the growth rate of bacterial metabolism. pH can influence the concentration of nutrients as the concentration of protons and hydroxyls can affect nutrient dissolution, precipitation and geochemical reactions leading to the increase or decrease of the nutrient for bacteria to growth
SRB regulate the pH of the environment under acidic conditions to pH 7.4 by converting proton to H2 S which will escape as gas and by producing H2 O
Summary
Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a group of microorganisms that utilise sulphate as a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration. SRB, the dominant species accounting for MIC Corrosion under these conditions is caused by the combined effect of environmental pH on corrosion, bacteria metabolism for their survival and growth which have effect on microbial corrosion. Understanding survival ability of SRB in extreme pH environment can propose a suitable mechanism of MIC caused by SRB in such conditions and possible mitigation methods for corrosion. PH of the environments presents some issues that have not been discussed widely in MIC literature The goal of this present work is to elucidate and summarise existing knowledge on how neutrophilic SRB survive and grow under extreme pH conditions, including sulphate reduction activities, and its effect on material corrosion
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