A quantitative assessment of microbiological contributions to corrosion of candidate nuclear waste package materials

The US Department of Energy is contributing to the design of a potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A system to predict the contribution of Yucca Mountain (YM) bacteria to overall corrosion rates of candidate waste package (WP) materials was designed and implemented. DC linear polarization resistance techniques were applied to candidate material coupons that had been inoculated with a mixture of YM-derived bacteria with potentially corrosive activities, or left sterile. Inoculated bacteria caused a 5- to 6-fold increase in corrosion rate of carbon steel C1020 (to approximately 7--8 microm/yr), and an almost 100-fold increase in corrosion rate of Alloy 400 (to approximately 1 microm/yr) was observed due to microbiological activities. Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) rates on more resistant materials (CRMs: Alloy 625, Type 304 Stainless Steel, and Alloy C22) were on the order of hundredths of micrometers per year (microm/yr). Bulk chemical and surfacial endpoint analyses of spent media and coupon surfaces showed preferential dissolution of nickel from Alloy 400 coupons and depletion of chromium from CRMs after incubation with YM bacteria. Scanning electron microscopy also showed greater damage to the Alloy 400 surface than that indicated by electrochemical detection methods