Biochemical attack on concrete in wastewater applications: A state of the art review

The costs associated with the provision and maintenance of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure represents a significant financial demand worldwide. Maintenance costs are disproportionately high, indicating a lack of adequate durability. There remains a lack of consensus on degradation mechanisms, the performance of various cement types, the role of bacteria in the corrosion process associated with wastewater applications and testing methodologies. This paper presents a review of the literature, outlining the various research approaches undertaken in an effort to address this problem. The findings of these varying approaches are compared, and the different strategies employed are compiled and discussed. It is proposed that a key step in advancing the understanding of the associated deterioration mechanism is a combined approach that considers the interaction between biological and chemical processes. If this can be achieved then steps can be taken to establishing a performance-based approach for specifying concrete in these harsh service conditions.

[1]  O. Al-Amoudi.  Performance of 15 reinforced concrete mixtures in magnesium-sodium sulphate environments , 1995 .

[2]  Kazuo Shoji,et al.  Corrosion by bacteria of concrete in sewerage systems and inhibitory effects of formates on their growth. , 2002, Water research.

[3]  W. Verstraete,et al.  A new test procedure for biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion of concrete , 2004, Biodegradation.

[4]  T. Morinaga,et al.  Deterioration of Concrete Derived From Metabolites of Microorganisms , 1994, "SP-145: Durability of Concrete -- Proceedings Third CANMET - ACI International Conference, Nice, France 1994".

[5]  S. Waksman,et al.  MICROÖRGANISMS CONCERNED IN THE OXIDATION OF SULFUR IN THE SOIL II. THIOBACILLUS THIOOXIDANS, A NEW SULFUR-OXIDIZING ORGANISM ISOLATED FROM THE SOIL , 1922, Journal of bacteriology.

[6]  Deborah J. Roberts,et al.  Quantifying microbially induced deterioration of concrete: initial studies , 2002 .

[7]  Erez N. Allouche,et al.  Effect of geopolymer cement on microstructure, compressive strength and sulphuric acid resistance of concrete , 2006 .

[8]  A. Allahverdi,et al.  Acidic corrosion of hydrated cement based materials. Part 2. - Kinetics of the phenomenon and mathematical models , 2000 .

[9]  Frank Rendell,et al.  The deterioration of mortar in sulphate environments , 1999 .

[10]  George M. Ayoub,et al.  Assessment of hydrogen sulphide corrosion of cementitious sewer pipes: a case study , 2004 .

[11]  G. Emtiazi,et al.  Isolation of some new sulphur bacteria from activated sludge , 1990 .

[12]  Richard M. Stuetz,et al.  Activated sludge biotreatment of sulphurous waste emissions , 2002 .

[13]  Susumu Kawamura,et al.  Integrated design and operation of water treatment facilities , 1991 .

[14]  Luc Taerwe,et al.  Influence of polymer addition on biogenic sulfuric acid attack of concrete , 2002 .

[15]  Thorkild Hvitved-Jacobsen,et al.  Corrosion of concrete sewers--the kinetics of hydrogen sulfide oxidation. , 2008, The Science of the total environment.

[16]  G. Osborne,et al.  DURABILITY OF PORTLAND BLAST-FURNACE SLAG CEMENT CONCRETE , 1999 .

[17]  Mohammed K. Ibrahim,et al.  DURABILITY OF PROPRIETARY CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS FOR USE IN WASTEWATER TRANSPORT SYSTEMS , 2003 .

[18]  Jan C. Jofriet,et al.  SE—Structures and Environment: Corrosion of Steel Reinforcement in Mortar Specimens exposed to Hydrogen Sulphide, Part 1: Impressed Voltage and Electrochemical Potential Tests , 2001 .

[19]  Richard Field,et al.  Sewer and Tank Flushing for Sediment, Corrosion, and Pollution Control , 2001 .

[20]  Jean Marc Christian Tulliani,et al.  Sulfate attack of concrete building foundations induced by sewage waters , 2002 .

[21]  T. Mori,et al.  Interactions of nutrients, moisture and pH on microbial corrosion of concrete sewer pipes , 1992 .

[22]  R. W. Burrows,et al.  Building Durable Structures in the 21st Century , 2001 .

[23]  Nele De Belie,et al.  Evaluation of methods for testing concrete degradation in aggressive solutions , 2007 .

[24]  Jan Olek,et al.  Sulfate attack research — whither now? , 2001 .

[25]  Willy Verstraete,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND PREDICTION OF THE EFFECT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOGENIC SULFURIC ACID ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED CONCRETE SEWER PIPES , 2004 .

[26]  Neal S. Berke,et al.  Biodeterioration of concrete by the fungus Fusarium , 1998 .

[27]  Cd Parker,et al.  THE CORROSION OF CONCRETE: 2. THE FUNCTION OF THIOBACILLUS CONCRETIVORUS (NOV. SPEC.) IN THE CORROSION OF CONCRETE EXPOSED TO ATMOSPHERES CONTAINING HYDROGEN SULPHIDE. , 1945 .

[28]  S. Pavía,et al.  Study of the Durability of OPC versus GGBS Concrete on Exposure to Silage Effluent , 2008 .

[29]  Marton Marosszeky,et al.  Using Limestone Aggregates and Different Cements for Enhancing Resistance of Concrete to Sulphuric Acid Attack , 2005 .

[30]  Deborah J. Roberts,et al.  Isolation and characterization of microorganisms involved in the biodeterioration of concrete in sewers , 2000 .

[31]  H. Taylor,et al.  Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. IV. Reactions of a slag cement paste with sodium and magnesium sulfate solutions , 1996 .

[32]  Cd Parker,et al.  THE CORROSION OF CONCRETE , 1945 .

[33]  Luc Taerwe,et al.  CHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND IN SITU TEST METHODS FOR BIOGENIC SULFURIC ACID CORROSION OF CONCRETE , 2000 .

[34]  Jan Skalny,et al.  Sulfate attack on concrete , 2001 .

[35]  Edgardo F. Irassar,et al.  MICROSTRUCTURAL STUDY OF SULFATE ATTACK ON ORDINARY AND LIMESTONE PORTLAND CEMENTS AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE , 2003 .

[36]  Moncef L. Nehdi,et al.  Resistance of Self-consolidating Concrete to Sulfuric Acid Attack with Consecutive pH Reduction , 2007 .

[37]  Zhankun Wang,et al.  Transfer of IncP Plasmids to Extremely Acidophilic Thiobacillus thiooxidans , 1992, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[38]  E. Attiogbe,et al.  Response of Concrete to Sulfuric Acid Attack , 1988 .

[39]  Luc Taerwe,et al.  Chemical and microbiological tests to simulate sulfuric acid corrosion of polymer-modified concrete , 2001 .

[40]  P. N. Sarma,et al.  Bioaugmentation of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor (AnSBBR) with immobilized sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) for the treatment of sulphate bearing chemical wastewater. , 2005 .

[41]  H. Taylor,et al.  Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. V. Comparison of different slag blends , 1996 .

[42]  J. Sharp,et al.  An experimental study of combined acid and sulfate attack of concrete , 2003 .

[43]  H. Taylor,et al.  Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. I. Ordinary portland cement paste , 1992 .

[44]  A. Neville.  THE CONFUSED WORLD OF SULFATE ATTACK ON CONCRETE , 2004 .

[45]  E. Kishar,et al.  Magnesium sulfate attack on hardened blended cement pastes under different circumstances , 2002 .

[46]  Luc Taerwe,et al.  Resistance to biogenic sulphuric acid corrosion of polymer-modified mortars , 2001 .

[47]  T. Longworth.  Contribution of construction activity to aggressive ground conditions causing the thaumasite form of sulfate attack to concrete in pyritic ground , 2003 .

[48]  M. Collepardi,et al.  A state-of-the-art review on delayed ettringite attack on concrete , 2003 .

[49]  Nele De Belie,et al.  Effectiveness of admixtures, surface treatments and antimicrobial compounds against biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion of concrete , 2009 .

[50]  N. Bernet,et al.  Start-up of anaerobic digestion of sulfate wastewater. , 1997 .

[51]  D. Higgins.  Increased sulfate resistance of ggbs concrete in the presence of carbonate , 2003 .

[52]  Jeffrey L. Davis,et al.  Analysis of concrete from corroded sewer pipe , 1998 .

[53]  F. Weritz,et al.  Detailed depth profiles of sulfate ingress into concrete measured with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy , 2009 .

[54]  K. Kamimura,et al.  Isolation of iron-oxidizing bacteria from corroded concretes of sewage treatment plants. , 1999, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering.

[55]  S. E. Chidiac,et al.  Evolution of mechanical properties of concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag and effects on the scaling resistance test at 28 days , 2008 .