Chemical, microbiological, and in situ test methods for biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion of concrete

Biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion is often a problem in sewer environment; i t can lead to a fast degradation of the concrete structures. Since the invo lvement of bacteria in the corrosion process was discovered, considerable m icrobiological research has been devoted to the understanding of the corros ive process. Mechanical engineers have focused on experiments comparing the resistance of several concrete mixes against biogenic sulfuric acid corros ion. Because of a lack of standardised methods, different test methods have been used, and various parameters have been modified to evaluate the resis tance of the materials. The research done on sulfuric acid corrosion of con crete can roughly be divided in three groups: chemical tests, microbial sim ulation tests, and exposure tests in situ. In this article, an overview of the recent developments in the test methods for biogenic sulfuric acid corr osion and the obtained results are presented. Possible differences between biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion and chemical sulfuric acid corrosion are d elineated. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.