Final Report Summary - BIOCOR ITN (Initial training network on biocorrosion) BIOCOR ITN - GA n° 238579FINAL REPORTAnnex 1: Publishable Summary1st September 2009 – 31st August 2013Project Coordinator: regine.basseguy@ensiacet.frThe main objectives of BIOCOR were: 1) to develop a new profile of researcher, capable of addressing and managing all aspects of scientific and/or industrial problems related to MIC (Microbial Induced Corrosion) also called biocorrosion and 2) to provide the European Community with new multidisciplinary expertise in the area of biocorrosion in order to develop more efficient knowledge-based solutions for the industry. The project was strongly oriented towards major industrial concerns and based on a “problem-oriented approach” from real field cases of biocorrosion from two major sectors: the oil & gas and energy industries. For this purpose, all the research topics were based on a common methodology called “from the field, through the lab, to the field” and divided into three different research sub-programmes: the oil and gas water injection and production structures (RSP1&2), the cooling circuits in power plants (RSP3) and the nuclear waste underground disposal (RSP4).The consortium was composed of sixteen full and associated partners, seven of them were industrial companies. The overall research project was built with twelve individual research projects hosted by twelve research laboratories and gathering sixteen recruited young researchers and two international Visiting Scientists. The BIOCOR website (www.biocor.eu) launched on the 9th of May 2010, presents a project overview with the description of the consortium and their different activities, and a ‘publications’ part with abstracts and references for all the papers, posters and oral presentations given by the consortium.In the case of the oil & gas industry (RSP1&2), biocorrosion is found in nearly all the systems: oil separation train, produced water systems, water injection systems and oil export systems. In this industry, carbon steel is one of the most extensively used materials for pipelines, for water injection systems and for other structures; this carbon steel is often in extended contact with water, making it prone to biocorrosion. Among the outcomes of the research in this domain, we can cite the design and building of a fully equipped circulating loop for electrochemical measurements with retrievable coupons developed in order to improve decision support. Otherwise, in different laboratories, investigations on biocorrosion (electrochemical tests, mechanical tests, weight loss and surface analysis) and on determining microbial diversity were run using different field samples provided by industrial partners: pigging samples from cleaning operation, water samples and bio-coupons. The isolation and characterisation of bacterial strains from the field have shown the presence of many groups of bacteria: the diversity was higher in field samples than in the enrichments, and even if the increase in corrosion was recognised to remain mainly due to sulphide production, it was proved that the threat came from all the bacteria able to produce sulphide, not only from the classical sulphate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP). Moreover, various functional genes have been detected with higher or lower intensity signals. These can be further used as (bio) molecular markers to support risk assessment. This led to the development of new biochips for the rapid detection and quantification of microbial metabolic processes that provoke or inhibit biocorrosion in stabilised oil systems. A side stream rig was installed on an offshore platform, and the effects of biocides and flow rates in the pipeline were also examined. Additionally, the role of SRP was investigated with a special interest on strains able to switch from sulphate to nitrate reduction; it gave a better understanding of the risks of nitrate treatment to metabolism alteration of the microbial community and its impact on the surface of the carbon steel. The influence of bacterial EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substance) and other less known bacterial species such as IRBs (Iron Reducing Bacteria) on biocorrosion processes was also studied. The data from all these assessments were used to make recommendations about how to recognise and deal with biocorrosion, as well as pigging frequency and flow velocity in pipe, and to complete the database built for the project on field cases.In the domain of energy facilities (RSP3), biocorrosion is found in inland and offshore energy production plants, and more specifically in cooling circuits. Copper alloy structures, especially in condensers of marine power plants with circulating seawater, are exposed to severe corrosion rates after a few months of operation. Biofilm formation also reduces the thermal exchange efficiency in the cooling circuits. The research within this sub-programme began with an energy company, who provided metallic samples and the opportunity to test them in an online monitoring system based on integrated electrochemical probes (BIOX and Linear Polarization Resistance probes). One of the most important parts of the programme was the investigation into the corrosion mechanisms of copper alloys, both with and without chlorination, in the presence of the microorganisms from seawater used in these cooling systems. It was shown that a short chlorination stopped the negative influence of biofouling on the formation of protective oxide layers. Using the model organism Pseudomonas 2021 and its extracted EPS, laboratory investigations helped to understand and to elucidate the mechanisms leading to the formation of adsorbed bio-macromolecule layers on metallic surfaces exposed to seawater. Work in the lab also involved the development of antifouling nanocoatings, which were then tested for efficiency in corrosive and microbial environments in cooling systems. A joint action on EPS analysis was carried out in collaboration with the oil and gas subprogramme. The return to the field helped to bring a number of improvements in many areas such as online monitoring and pertinent advices for plant procedures. The anti-fouling coatings were also given for test-runs in the real world, both in saltwater and freshwater situations.In the domain of Nuclear Energy (RSP4), the generally accepted strategy to manage high level and long lived radioactive waste (HLLW) is the disposal in deep stable geological formations where biocorrosion can be developed. Anoxic corrosion of the underground containers, stored at 500m, produces hydrogen and iron oxide. It is therefore very important to study the impact of hydrogen as energy-nutrient source on bacterial activity, in order to evaluate the hazard related to its accumulation (during many years). This accumulation may lead to subsequent biocorrosion of the underground carbon steel packing that may modify the sealing/confining properties of argillaceous formation.Within the RPS4, the work was performed coupling a chemical and an electrochemical approach to study the impact of hydrogen on bacterial activity and corrosion products. The electrochemical interfaces were characterised in order to determine if carbon steel biocorrosion may occur in presence of IRB and HOB (Hydrogen Oxidising Bacteria). The results put in evidence a consumption of hydrogen by IRB activity and less localised corrosion of carbon steel for short term periods in the presence of tested bacteria. Moreover the geochemical study gave numerous data concerning the corrosion rate, the involved mechanism, the concentration of soluble chemicals and the kind of corrosion products. These parameters will feed a modelling approach, which can be used to extrapolate the corrosion kinetics and predict biocorrosion processes on a long-term scale.BIOCOR was a dynamic network with active cross-cutting collaborations, sharing methodologies and protocols, field samples collection and dispatching to research laboratories, visit of industrial sites, joint industrial-academic PhDs, and secondments to exchange and acquire complementary knowledge and know-how. To sum-up, the network offered 23 internal training courses including 3 complementary skills ones and also opened 2 events to the wider external audience: an EIS training week and a Summer School. Eight over ten PhD theses are already defended. BIOCOR is also present on the international scene, taking the chair of the MIC working party of the European Corrosion Federation from January 2012. Its results were presented during yearly sessions at EUROCORR and mainly during the 2013 edition coupled with BIOCOR final conference. The project gathers 42 publications, 84 communications and the edition of a joint special issue and a Green Book.
