Abstract
Copper is used in various applications that are in
contact with natural environment. These environmental
conditions favor and enable formation of biofilms by
naturally occurring microbes. Copper has also been the
corrosion barrier of choice for the nuclear waste storage
canisters in the Finnish nuclear waste disposal program.
The copper canisters should have lifetimes exceeding 100
000 years to prevent the release of radioactive nuclides
to the environment. Copper is commonly considered to be
immune to corrosion in oxygen-free water. This is an
important argument for using copper as a corrosion
protection in the planned canisters for encapsulation of
spent nuclear fuel in Sweden and Finland. However,
microbial biofilm formation on metal surfaces can enhance
corrosion in various conditions and provide conditions
where corrosion would not otherwise occur. Microbes can
generate conditions that enhance corrosion e.g. through
the alteration of pH and redox potential, excretion of
corrosion inducing metabolites, direct or indirect
enzymatic reduction or oxidation of corrosion products
and formation of biofilms that create corrosive
microenvironments. Corrosion may reduce lifetime of
equipment and structures. Microbial metabolites are known
to initiate, facilitate, or accelerate general corrosion
or localized corrosion, galvanic corrosion, intergranular
corrosion and also enable stress corrosion cracking.
Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) that produce sulfide are
present in the repository environment. Sulfide is known
to be a corrosive agent for copper.
Here we show results from corrosion of copper in
anaerobic simulated ground water in the presence of SRB
enriched from the disposal site. Electrochemical
measurements were proven to be useful in monitoring the
initiation and progression of general and localized
corrosion of copper.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 19th International Corrosion Congress |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
MoE publication type | A4 Article in a conference publication |
Event | 19th International Corrosion Congress, ICC 2014 - Jeju, Korea, Republic of Duration: 2 Nov 2014 → 6 Nov 2014 Conference number: 19 |
Conference
Conference | 19th International Corrosion Congress, ICC 2014 |
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Abbreviated title | ICC 2014 |
Country/Territory | Korea, Republic of |
City | Jeju |
Period | 2/11/14 → 6/11/14 |
Keywords
- copper
- repository
- sulfate reducing bactreia
- anaerobic ground water
- corrosion