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REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiological Chemistry and Geomicrobiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1552103
This article is part of the Research Topic Microbial Corrosion and Material Challenges in Marine Environments View all 3 articles
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The dual role of microorganisms in metal corrosion and corrosion inhibition reflects their complex biochemical interactions. In terms of corrosion, certain microorganisms accelerate metal oxidation by producing acidic metabolites or facilitating electrochemical processes, thereby causing damage to the material. Conversely, under specific conditions, they can form biofilms and/or biominerals that create protective layers, reducing the oxidation rate and delaying corrosion. This paper provides a comprehensive illustration of microbial corrosion promotion and inhibition, emphasizing the importance of key microorganisms involved in these corrosive processes. Microorganisms, including sulfate-reducing bacteria, nitrate-reducing bacteria, iron-oxidizing and iron-reducing bacteria and certain fungi, contribute to corrosion through their metabolic activities. Microbial corrosion mechanisms can be classified into extracellular electron transfer, microbial metabolism corrosion and the oxygen concentration cell theory. In contrast, microorganisms can effectively mitigate metal corrosion through a range of mechanisms including reduction of dissolved oxygen levels, secretion of antimicrobial substances, biological competition and biomineralization. Microbial corrosion and inhibition generally arise from multiple mechanisms working together, rather than a single cause. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms can provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the development of new anti-corrosion strategies.In-depth research on the mechanisms of corrosion microorganisms and corrosion inhibition will not only enable understanding of the causes and hazards of microbial corrosion more comprehensively, but also provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of efficient and environmentally-friendly anti-corrosion technologies and materials. With the continuous development of biotechnology and materials science, the prospect of microbial application in the field of corrosion control will become broader.
Keywords: Microbiologically-influenced corrosion1, Microbially-influenced corrosion inhibition (MICI)2, Corrosion mechanisms3, Biomineralization4, biofilm5
Received: 27 Dec 2024; Accepted: 19 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Gong, Chen, Gadd and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qianwei Li, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, Beijing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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