Relationship between biofilms and corrosion of steel by microbial contaminants of cutting-oil emulsions

Abstract

Mild steel and stainless steel samples were assayed in laboratory experiments against two different microbial strains isolated from cutting-oil emulsions: one strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens and a sulphate-reducing bacterium. The relationship between the corrosive attack and the formation of bacterial biofilms was assessed in each case by using electrochemical experiments complemented with scanning electron microscopical observation of the samples.