THE ROLE OF PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA ON THE LOCALIZED CORROSION OF 304-STAINLESS STEEL

The influence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the corrosion resistance of 304 stainless steel in neutral buffered solutions containing 0.5 M Na Cl was studied by using potentiodynamic and potentiostatic techniques complemented with scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that th e growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the medium decreased the resista nce of the localized corrosion of 304 stainless steel specimens. This effect can be explained by the formation of microcrevices under the bi ological deposits and by passive film thinning due to the production o f aggressive metabolites.