Electrochemical corrosion has four elements (anode, cathode, a metallic path, and electrolyte). For non-metals, the first three elements are absent. Thus, corrosion is exclusive used for metals and deterioration for non-metals. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) applies to metals and microbiologically influenced deterioration (MID) applies to non-metals such as polymers and composites. In this article, a four-step algorithm/guide to prepare root cause analysis reports for MIC/MID cases is presented. By applying this algorithm, making syntax errors in such analyses will become as low as possible.

EDITORIAL article Front. Microbiol., 13 November 2023Sec. Microbiological Chemistry and Geomicrobiology Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249565

Biofuels, like any high-affinity chemical mixtures; can cause tribological effects at interfaces with metallics (ferrous-nonferrous) and non-metallics due to medium assisted activation of corrosion by unsaturated components. The damages; corrosion and tribological effects on surfaces (abrasive wears and edge/cosmetic corrosion), also include contamination and biofuels replacement due to quality decrease. The most common phenomena include the oxidation of biodiesel which increases its affinity towards metallic counterparts, i.e. automotive parts or processing apparatus, via formation of peroxide compounds by oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acids. This corrosion receptive medium causes pitting; due to high water content and high electronegativity of dissolved oxygen, and galvanic corrosion; due to high electrical conductivity. The main factors for higher aggressive corrosivity of biofuels can be summarized as high electrical conductivity, polarity, solubility, and hygroscopicity. This paper closely reviews the materials deterioration in contact with biofuels and possible corrosions.

"A Pathological Mini-Atlas of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion and Deterioration (MIC/MID) cases", authored and edited by Dr. Reza Javaherdashti, is a book that, in collaboration with several international world-known MIC professionals, has been written to shed light on some areas of MIC/MID that are still in the dark as well as designing a new systematic insight into the study of MIC/MID phenomena.

Corrosion is an electrochemical process that is being driven thermodynamically. It is only applied to metals and it has three essential elements; anode (electron release spot), cathode (electron receiver spot), and an electrolyte (a fluid through which ions produced via electrochemical processes can easily move). Three main measures to predict corrosion (standard hydrogen electrode, galvanic series, and Pourbaix diagrams) are briefly discussed from a practical point of view. All anti-corrosion technical measures can be categorized into five groups: physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, and design (that also includes material selection). Each of these, and particularly physical anti-measures (paint/coating), as well as material selection will be explained in more detail. Care has been taken to review the application side of these theoretical concepts to use them as a background for defining what is meant by management of corrosion.

In this chapter, the basic theoretical concepts of Theory of the Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) are described: definition of a technical contradiction (TC); definition of ideal final result; some discussions of the laws of evolution of technical systems; the principles of Su-Field analysis; descriptions of the problem solving process; Nine Windows; Trends of Engineering System Evolution; Trimming; Resource Analysis; Psychological inertia; Size–Time–Cost (STC) Operator; definition of inventive principles, and many new examples and approaches from M. Basirzadeh's practical experience in applying the 40 Inventive Principles in corrosion management. This chapter also includes the articles about approaches to scientific problem solving, and a contradiction table of using several physical effects for inventive problem solving.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is electrochemical corrosion in nature. Being as such, it is also subjected to methods by which corrosion can be controlled. Coating of active substrates can be used to control their corrosion in aggressive media. By applying coatings, not only anode and cathode are separated by a barrier but also the outer environment that could perform as an electrolyte would be prevented to come into contact with the surface of the corroding material. For MIC to take place the general requirements for electrochemical corrosion should be realized, that are an anode for electron drainage and a cathode as an electron sink in the presence of an electrolyte. The main aspect of MIC that renders it different from other corrosion processes is the involvement of living organisms. These organisms are capable to induce corrosion via various ways; however, the end result will be inducing conditions by which failure of the material would be facilitated. One of the coating materials that have recently gained a good reputation among researchers is graphene. Due to its extraordinary features such as high water and oil resistivity and scratch resistivity, graphene has been shown to be a promising coating material. While application of coatings in controlling MIC is not a new concept, the usage of graphene as an alternative coating in this respect is a novel approach. In this chapter, we will review some important characteristics of MIC and illustrate the employment of graphene in preventing MIC.

Corrosion is an issue that can have disastrous environmental effects in addition to its economic damage. To the best knowledge of this author, no systematic study on environmental effects of corrosion has yet been done. In this chapter, we have introduced a series of new nomenclature to enable us to redefine corrosion-related environmental disasters within an innovative framework and will enable us to establish a mutual interactive bond between two seemingly different disciplines of both corrosion and environmental studies. This chapter will be an introduction to a concept that can be regarded as an example of "Semmelweis Reflex," which is essentially to stick to preexisting beliefs and to reject fresh ideas that contradict them . In this chapter, we have introduced terms such as corrosion effect and corrosion impact, domain and boundary (to define the responsibility and legal liability). We have explained factors such as, but not limited to, environmental risk threshold (ERT) by which a quantitative corrosion-environment effect model needs to be constructed. In addition, we introduced Rule 365, which can be a useful tool to permit us to detail the necessary actions needed to make any corrosion impact modeling applicable per corrosion effect case.

The main target of any failure modes, effects, causes, and analysis (FMEA) is (or must be) to understand the way(s) by which the failure has happened and the mechanisms involved. Why we bother to do that? Obviously because, we do not want the same thing to happen again and failures repeat themselves over and over again. It is by following this path of reasoning that it will make sense to focus upon the issues we will very briefly just touch in this abstract. The concepts to be discussed in this chapter are not of the kinds we have covered so far. In this chapter, we will talk about what is needed by research and engineering community members to completely understand the present and future of FMEA and measures to control or prevent failures in which microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) plays an integral, cardinal role. In this chapter, we will talk about the algorithm of innovation and invention, the uncertainties involved in MIC and how they can be addressed in a mathematical way, the role that human factors in addition to technical factors can play in control and prevention of MIC-induced failures and how the issue of environmental impacts of MIC can be managed by copying from fashion industry, and adaption of it into MIC treatment strategies as well as the role that must be taken over by all industrialists and researchers alike to emphasize upon the impacts by which MIC treatments are highly potential to do harm to the environment. In addition, we want to examine how future looks like for FMEA where we will present a Future studies model to accommodate corrosion in a management grand-plan and then with the use of research done on particular cases related to the future of MIC research and treatment as well as understanding the involved mechanisms, we will answer to the question if what is to be done for the future of FMEA will be a move of paradigm shift nature such as exploring a new city or rather a “sightseeing” approach where much effort is given to explore the corners and places of an already explored city.

In this paper a model is developed to address how a bad, man-made incident such as corrosion as an element for moving from a possible future to a desired future must be handled within a Participatory Action Learning scheme. The possible mechanisms (including corrosion knowledge management as a managerial tool) are also addressed and discussed.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) consists of two integral components. One of these components is electrochemical corrosion. In this chapter, in addition to quickly reviewing some fundamentals of electrochemical corrosion that will be necessary to understand MIC and later Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA-MIC), we also introduce the very important concept of series and parallel corrosion reactions patters. These patterns are of tremendous importance especially in dealing with failure analysis and investigation of failure mechanism(s) associated with MIC. At the end of this chapter, a few words about a new vision about corrosion management at nanoscale are also mentioned.

The central concept of microbiologically influenced corrosion is 'biofilm'. However, it is neither a 100% biological fabric nor a film. While biofilms though mechanisms such as establishment of differential aeration cells can accelerate corrosion, under certain circumstances such as thickening may also decelerate corrosion. In this article, these mechanisms will be discussed. Along with that, this author also introduces a new term that can replace the term 'biofilm'. This new term, 'temenos', has been proposed to indicate that when a biofilm forms, electrochemical conditions under the biofilm and those of the bulk will be highly different from each other.