Marine bacteria inhibit corrosion of steel via synergistic biomineralization

Abstract Metal corrosion often results in incalculable economic loss and significant safety hazards. Although numerous traditional methods have been used to mitigate the issue, such as coating and corrosion inhibitors, they are environmentally unfriendly and difficult to maintain. Therefore, in this study, an environmental approach was taken to protect steels from corrosion in a multi-species bacterial environment via synergistic biomineralization. The marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica mixed with Bacillus subtilis or Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains offered extraordinary corrosion protection for steel. The surface characterization and electrochemical tests showed that the biomineralized film generated by the mixed bacteria was more compact and protective than that induced by a single bacterium. Herein, we found that the synergistic mechanisms were rather different for the different bacterial groups. For Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica and Bacillus subtilis group, the related mechanisms were due to the increase of pH in the medium, secretion of carbonic anhydrase. As for Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa group, the synergistic mechanism was attributed to the inhibiting corrosive bacteria in biofilm by the growth advantage of Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica. Therefore, this study may introduce a new perspective for future use of biomineralization in a real marine environment.