Microbial Biofilms: Mixed Populations, Spatial Gradients, and Corrosion

工业设备最大的性能和系统可靠性的最大威胁之一是设备表面的污垢和腐蚀。污垢和腐蚀加在一起，每年给美国造成数十亿美元的损失。大部分污垢是由于与水接触的设备表面上形成的生物膜，以及设备表面(通常是金属合金)上产生的微生物活动造成的大量腐蚀。在包括金属、混凝土、木材和塑料在内的许多材料上都观察到了生物降解。尽管人们对微生物腐蚀感到担忧，但它的大部分文献都包含轶事材料。这项研究的重点是金属和金属合金的微生物腐蚀。测量将侧重于通过使用微电极和对腐蚀过程的实时电化学监测来确定金属-生物膜界面。微生物过程工程技术将把测量结果整合到一个模型中，用于描述/预测工业环境中的微生物腐蚀。与检测、识别和监测微生物腐蚀过程相关的现有仪器的新仪器或新用途也是该研究的预期结果。

One of the greatest threats to maximum performance and system reliability in industrial equipment is fouling and corrosion of the equipment surfaces. Fouling and corrosion combined cost the U.S. billions of dollars annually. Much of the fouling is due to biofilms forming on equipment surfaces in contact with water and significant amounts of corrosion result from the resultant microbial activity at the equipment surface (generally a metal alloy). Biodeterioration has been observed on many materials including metals, concrete, wood, and plastics. Despite the concern over microbial corrosion, most of its literature contains anecdotal material. This investigation focuses on microbial corrosion of metals and metal alloys. Measurements will focus on defining the metal-biofilm interface through the use of microelectrodes and real time electrochemical monitoring of corrosion processes. Microbial process engineering techniques will integrate the measurements in a model for describing/predicting microbial corrosion in industrial environments. New instrumentation or new uses for current instrumentation related to detecting, identifying, and monitoring microbial corrosion processes are also anticipated outcomes of the research.