Microbial Analysis is part of the Bioclear Group
Revealing the Silent Threats
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) can be a silent destructor in various environments where MIC-related microorganisms thrive under favorable conditions. Here are 7 examples of environments where MIC corrosion can occur:
A year ago, iron-eating bacteria were all over the news because ships in the port of Ghent Terneuzen suffered from very rapid corrosion damage.
The investigated wastewater treatment plant reuses purified water in its own operating process. In recent years, leaks have occurred at a number of points in the service water system. It is suspected that these leaks are caused by Microbially Influenced Corrosion (MIC). Microbial Analysis has been commissioned to determine the exact cause of the leaks and to examine what measures can be taken to extend the life of the current piping system.
Doing nothing means cavities.
There I was, on a draughty terrain with a view over a lot of transport pipes. It was cold and windy, but it didn't bother me, because the impressive view of the pipes dominated. A transport pipeline is in fact a great invention! No trucks, train carriages or ships, but pipelines that transport products from A to B. In the Netherlands, we have no less than 300,000 kilometres of underground transport pipelines. You hear nothing, smell nothing and with underground pipelines you see nothing either, so it's a win-win-win situation. Fascinating...
In our consultancy work, we regularly come across well-intentioned actions by clients that cause unintended reactions, such as the development of MIC (microbial corrosion). At first sight, these are often very logical actions which, unfortunately, can have major consequences. We have listed five of them for you. These experiences of others may help you to prevent similar problems.
Be in control with Inhome qPCR
In a lot of industrial production processes, microbiology plays a very important role. This can be either a positive or a negative consequence.
What are biocides?
Biocides are chemicals that are used to suppress, combat or prevent harmful or unwanted organisms.
Biocides are used in many different places in the industry to monitor safety and quality.
Everybody is familiar with the phenomenon of corrosion. Corrosion is the degradation of materials (particularly metals) through electrochemical reactions.
In 2016, we started collaborating with the Canadian company OSP Microcheck. Due to this collaboration, we currently offer our services at three locations: Houston (USA), Calgary (Canada) and Groningen (The Netherlands). The big advantage for our customers in both the USA and Canada, is that samples no longer have to be shipped to the Netherlands. This saves time, reduces CO2- emission, and brings us closer to our customers.
