Nitrite as a causal factor for nitrate‐dependent anaerobic corrosion of metallic iron induced by Prolixibacter strains

Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) may contribute significantly to overall corrosion risks, especially in the gas and petroleum industries. In this study, we isolated four Prolixibacter strains, which belong to the phylum Bacteroidetes, and examined their nitrate respiration‐ and Fe(0)‐corroding activities, together with two previously isolated Prolixibacter strains. Four of the six Prolixibacter strains reduced nitrate under anaerobic conditions, while the other two strains did not. The anaerobic growth of the four nitrate‐reducing strains was enhanced by nitrate, which was not observed in the two strains unable to reduce nitrate. When the nitrate‐reducing strains were grown anaerobically in the presence of Fe(0) or carbon steel, the corrosion of the materials was enhanced by more than 20‐fold compared to that in aseptic controls. This enhancement was not observed in cultures of the strains unable to reduce nitrate. The oxidation of Fe(0) in the anaerobic cultures of nitrate‐reducing strains occurred concomitantly with the formation of nitrite. Since nitrite chemically oxidized Fe(0) under anaerobic and aseptic conditions, the corrosion of Fe(0)‐ and carbon steel by the nitrate‐reducing Prolixibacter strains was deduced to be mainly enhanced via the biological reduction of nitrate to nitrite, followed by the chemical oxidation of Fe(0) to Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) coupled to the reduction of nitrite.