ALTIVIA - Application Detail (Corrosion Control)

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Corrosion Control

Corrosion is a major cause of infrastructure failure in untreated municipal collection systems. Hydrogen sulfide gas is the major odor and corrosion causing compound produced in wastewater systems through the anaerobic decay of organic matter, primarily by the strict anaerobe Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, which uses sulfate ion, SO₄^-2, as its source of oxygen. The hydrogen sulfide produced causes corrosion in two ways. First, in the presence of moisture and oxygen, microbial films on the pipe walls above the water surface containing the bacterium Thiobacillus thiooxidans convert hydrogen sulfide to sulfuric acid. This strong acid eats away at concrete and ferrous metals and, in the case of pipes, results in the “crown corrosion” phenomenon. Second, even at low concentrations hydrogen sulfide combines directly with conductive metals such as copper, silver, and tin to increase the failure rate of electronic equipment and other vital system components.

Sub Applications

Wastewater