Linking microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) to microbiological activity using Molecular Microbiological Methods.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in geological environments, from the surface of the earth to the deepest layer of the ocean's crust. Some microorganisms are useful, while others can be very harmful. In oil and gas production, microbiological activity is one of the biggest contributors to metal infrastructure corrosion. While there are some available solutions to mitigate microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), a big challenge is to make the connection between corrosion damage, such as pitting, and the activity of microorganisms. The threat of MIC occurs across metallic oil and natural gas pipeline networks that are exposed to water. In MIC assessment specifically, several MMM (e.g., the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method using 16S rRNA universal primers and the Next Generation Sequencing method) are useful tools to quantify the abundance and diversity of many types of bacteria and archaea. Results enable the end user to identify thermophilic archaea, methanogens, sulfate- reducing bacteria, nitrogen fixers, and obligate anaerobes, to name a few examples.