Role of Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria Serratia marcescens ACE2 and Bacillus cereus ACE4 on Corrosion of Carbon Steel API 5LX

This paper reports the microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) and electrochemical behavior of carbon steel (API 5LX) in the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria Bacillus cereus ACE4 (a Gram-positive bacterium) and Serratia marcescens ACE2 (a Gram-negative bacterium). Weight loss studies and metallographic analysis of the metal API 5LX exposed to a simulated corrosive environment showed that the bacterium ACE4 caused severe pitting corrosion than that of bacterium ACE2. As part of biodegradation studies, the impact of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) on diesel degradation was investigated along with reduction of total hydrocarbons. It was clearly observed that, during the biodegradation experiment in the presence of B. cereus ACE4, the content of the total hydrocarbons decreased significantly due to their metabolism induced by AHH enzymes when compared to S. marcescens ACE2. Degraded petroleum hydrocarbons (diesel) act as a good nutrient for bacteria, which in turn increases the proliferation of...