Microbiologically influenced corrosion inhibition of carbon steel via biomineralization induced by Shewanella putrefaciens

Microbiologically influenced corrosion inhibition (MICI) of Q235 carbon steel by biomineralization was investigated via a combination of surface analysis, electrochemistry, and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The results showed that Shewanella putrefaciens used the cell walls as the nucleation sites to induce the formation of a protective biomineralized layers which contained calcite and extracellular polymeric substances on the steel surface. The potentiodynamic polarization results demonstrated that the corrosion current density (icorr value) of the biomineralized steel surface was 0.38 μA cm−2, which was less than one-tenth that of the blank steel in a sterile medium (4.86 μA cm−2) after 14 days. The biomineralized layers presented wear resistance and could self-repair after undergoing mechanical damage under microbial conditions as verified by morphological and SECM observations. This work reveals that microbial-induced carbonate biomineralization, as a MICI approach, may be considered as a reliable, low-cost, environmentally friendly corrosion inhibition strategy.