Salinity Controls on Steel Biocorrosion relevant to the Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste.

Microbially-influenced corrosion (MIC) mediated via sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a process that impacts on many industries, particularly those exploiting the deep subsurface where reducing conditions prevail. Disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in a geological disposal facility (GDF) is heavily dependent on the ability of a metal waste-container to resist degradation via corrosion over time. Here we explore the impacts of salinity on SRB proliferation and low-carbon steel corrosion rates in batch laboratory tests incubated at 30 degrees celcius for 84 days.