Corrosion and Protection of Metals by Iron-Reducing Bacteria: A Review

The role of iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) in Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is controversial. According to some reports, IRB are able to induce protection of carbon steel while others suggest an important enhancement of corrosion through the solubilization and removal of passive films of iron oxides on the metal surface.  In this work, we review the recent knowledge concerning microbial iron respiration, the ecology of IRB containing biofilms and the corrosive or protective effect of such biofilms on metal surfaces.