Review of the SR-Can project regarding microbial processes

In the main report of the SR-Can project (SKB TR-06-09) the corrosion of the copper canister is modeled with data input according to different scenarios. That is, first the scenarios are set up and thereafter the model is predicting the possible corrosion effect. All scenarios presume an uneven general corrosion and chemical input data to the models are average data from field observations and/or chemical equilibrium calculations. The models used are assuming a homogenous environment around the canister. This approach is not consistent with natural environments where variations in data are the most common and where a mean value seldom is observed. Conservative estimates on the corrosion of copper should be retrieved from models where not only average numbers but also end members of each data set are used. I would also like to see another approach to the corrosion problem. First answer the question 'What are the prerequisites to corrode the canister to such an extent that a penetration of the 5 cm copper is achieved in 1,000,000 years?'. Thereafter look for necessary scenarios and find out whether they can be expected from a realistic point of view. In the main report it is stated that corrosion from sulphate-reducing bacteria cannot be ruled out, but it is not clear that this has been taken into account in any of the models. The microbes' impact is ruled out and they are assumed to have a negligible effect on the copper coverage of the canisters. The evidences presented for such an assumption are far from convincing