Effect of sulfate-reducing bacteria on stainless steel: a review

Corrosion-resistant alloys such as stainless steel provide an ideal substrate for microbial colonization due to the absence of corrosion products, similar to inert non-metallic surfaces. Stainless steels are sensitive to pitting and other types of localized corrosion in chloride-containing media such as seawater. Sulfate-reducing bacteria play an essential role in the corrosion of stainless steel in marine and soil environments. Sulfate is utilized by microbes as a terminal electron acceptor as their respiration drives sulfate reduction leading to the formation of H2S, which can lead to a significant increase in anodic and cathodic processes and corrosion of materials. In reviewing the literature, it was found that most studies on microbially induced corrosion in stainless steels indicate that it is caused by the influence of chlorides and sulfides in the soil resulting from the secretion of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The influence of sulfate-reducing bacteria on stainless steel is described in detail in this review, which can be seen from the following points: general properties of sulfate-reducing bacteria, morphology and chemical composition of biofilm and corrosion products, mechanisms of microbiological corrosion by sulfate-reducing bacteria and electrochemical studies of corrosion rates of stainless steel by sulfate-reducing bacteria under different experimental conditions.