Severe Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Oil Field Produced Water Can Be Linked to Methanogenic Archaea Containing a Special Type of [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Microorganisms can deteriorate built environments, which is particularly problematic in the case of pipelines transporting hydrocarbons to industrial end users. MIC is notoriously difficult to detect and monitor and, as a consequence, is a particularly difficult corrosion mechanism to manage. Despite the advent of molecular tools and improved microbial monitoring strategies for oil and gas operations, specific underlying MIC mechanisms in pipelines remain largely enigmatic. Emerging mechanistic understanding of methanogenic MIC derived from pure culture work allowed us to develop a qPCR assay that distinguishes technically problematic from benign methanogens in a West African oil field. Detection of the same gene in geographically diverse samples from North America hints at the widespread applicability of this assay. The research presented here offers a step toward a mechanistic understanding of biocorrosion in oil fields and introduces a binary marker for (methanogenic) MIC that can find application in corrosion management programs in industrial settings.