Jo urn al of Scientific & Industrial Research

Vo l. 62 , July 2003, pp 683-689

Mild Steel Corrosion Reduction in Water by Uptake of Dissolved Oxygen by

Rhodotorula mucilaginosa
M P Dabhole and K N J oishy*
Department of Mi crobiology, K J Somaiya College of Science, University of Mumbai , Mumbai 400077
Recei ved: 03 December 2002 ; accepted : 21 February 2003
The study aims at determination of co rrosio n rate reductio n in water by uptake o f di ssolved oxygen by RllOdolorula
III/Iciiag ill osa. Corros io n of mild steel in water due to oxygen is a common phenomena in coo ling towers and process
industrie s. Dissolved oxygen uptake at various pH -acidic, neutral and alkaline co nditi o ns indicated th at corrosio n reduced at
pH 7. The uptake of ferrous io ns by Rhodotorula l11ucilag illosa was detected by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The
affinity fo r uptake of cadmium ions by Rhod%mla mucilaginosa in presence of ferrous ions was co nfirmed by AAS . Both
weight loss and electroche mi cal method gave analogous data in corrosio n redu ction for Thane creek water.

Keywords: Corrosio n, Dissolved oxyge n, Mild steel, Rhod% mla mucilaginosa

Introduction
Iron is the m os t versatile tran sition metal in
biological redox reaction s. The hi gh affinity of iron
fo r oxygen has made iron the act ive site in oxygen
l
based enzy mati c react io ns . Iron is found in mild stee l
a nd has been widely used in eng ineerin g operations
and process indu stri es. Cadmium provi des an
attracti ve corrosion protecti ve coatin g over variou s
metals like, stee l and cas t iro n. Cadmium be ing
2
anod ic to iron prov ides protect ion to base meta l .
Corros io n of mild stee l in water is know n to
cause hu ge losses to process indu stri es. Currently,
co rros ion is redu ced by addin g cos tl y co rros ion
inhibitors. But these c he mi cals pe rs ist til the
there by
caus in g
enviro nmental
environ me nt ,
po lluti o n. The discharge of heavy metals like iron aJid
cadmium in to the e nvironme nt due to indu stri a l
operations has a profoun d effect on th e ecosystem and
human hea lth . The ex posure to fresh cad nuum fumes
d uring brazing of sta inl ess stee l and low a ll oy steels
has resulted in occ upati ona l di seases' .
In the prese nt in vesti gatio n, an attempt was
made to stud y th e reduction of corros ion of mild stee l
in water by uptake o f di sso lved oxyge n by
Rh odotorttLa l11ucilaginosa . Not mu c h is known abou t
th e applicati on of yeast to reduce corros io n of mild

" Authu r fur co rres pundence

emai l: drknJoi shy@yahou.co.in; madhav888 @red iffmail .com

steel in water. Recent evidences suggest that

aerobically respiring bacte ria may protect steel from
4
corrosion . B acterial activity at me tal surfaces is
known to reduce corrosion). Studies have been carried
out on reducing corrosion of mild stee l by bacteria
like, Pseudomonas fragi and Escherichia co li 6
The
uptake
of
di sso lved
oxygen
by
Saccharol11yces cereviseae is well- known? This
paramete r was take n into consideration durin g the
weight loss and e lectroc hemi ca l study. The
di sso luti on of iron as Fe 2+ and ox id ati on to Fe"+
8
occurs du e to high oxygen concentrati on
The
resulting product is the formation of Fe(OHh (ref. 9).
Studies have indi cated th at corros io n rate of iron is
a lmost proporti ona l to th e concentrat io n of disso lved
oxygen. Corrosion reduces when all di sso lved oxygen
is co nsumed at neutral pH (ref. 10).
The study aims to dete rmjne the redu ct io n of
mild stee l co rros io n in wate r by uptake of disso lved
oxygen, usin g Rh odoto rula l11ucilaginos(f at diffe re nt
pH at certain time interva l. The stud y was a lso
focused o n the affinity of uptake of fe rrou s and
cadmium io ns by Rhodoto rula l11ucilaginosa.

Materials and Method

Yeasts from Thane c reek water (5 mL) and
Powai lake (5 mL) were e nri c hed in 100 mL steri le
Yeast Ex trac t Malt Extrac t broth (YM agar) and
iso lated o n steril e YM agar. After e nri c hme nt , yeas ts
were iso lated o n ste ril e YM agar pl ates . A s ing le

684

J SCI IND RES VOL 62 JULY 2003

co lony of yeast was maintained on steri le YM agar

slants.
Identification of Yeasts - Fermentation a nd
assim il ati on of carbohydrates form principal
physiological criteria for th e ide ntifi catio n and
classification of yeas ts . ]n fermentation test, 3 mL of
ste ril e I per ce nt yeas t extrac t containing 50 mM
suga rs with Andrade ' s indi cator and inverted
Durham ' s tube were inoculated with a loopful of
ove rni ght broth c ulture of yeast. In carbo hydrate
assim ilati on test, the ab ility of yeasts to use organic
compo und as sole so urce of carbon was determined
by standard rep li ca plate method , using 25 mM
carbon source . Similarly th e ability . of yeas ts to
utilize different orga ni c compou nd s as so le so urce of
nitrogen was tes ted us in g yeas t carbon base
conta inin g a sin gle nitrogen sou rce (5 mM). All th e
yeast
strain s
we re
ide ntifi ed,
based
on
morphological,
c ultura l
and
physiological
c ha racte risti cs II .
Dissolved Oxygen (D 0) Uptake - A six steril e
250 mL Erl enmeyer flask s containing Thane c reek
water ( 100 mL) was in oc ul ated eac h with 24 h culture
of yeast ( 105 ce ll s/mL) a nd incubated at room
te mpe rature for 72 h. The D 0 uptake was determined
l2
by wi nkl er ' s method . In another study, a steril e 250
mL Erl e nmeyer flask conta ining Thane creek water
( 100 mL) was inocu lated with Rhodotorula
I17l1cilaginosa ( 105 cell s I mL) at time intervals of 24 h,
48 hand 72 h. The pH of Thane creek water was
determined during co ll ect ion of the wate r samp le and
confirmed aga in in the laboratory . Similarly 0 0
uptake experiments were carri ed out us ing
5
Rhodotorula gll/tinis ( 10 ce ll s/mL) at above durati ons . Th e D 0 uptake was determined in the absence
and the presence of cadmi um c hl oride ( 10 ppm, 20
ppm and 30 ppm) using wink ler ' s method .
Weight Loss M ethod - The initial weight of
four cl ean and dry mild stee l coupons was
dete rmined. Eac h coupon was suspended in 100 mL
of Thane c reek water for 24 h. After 24 h the coupons
were taken out and we ighed 13 . The di ss olved oxygen
of Thane creek water before introd uc in g the coupon
and after 24 h incubat ion was determined. The above
experime nts were carried out at pH 5, pH 7 , and pH 9,
res pective ly. Similarly the stud y was carried out for
cooling tower water (co ll ected from agroc hemi ca l

industry) at pH 7 . The di sso lved oxygen was

determined by Winkler's method. In the following
study ,
One mild stee l coupon was suspe nded in 100
mL of creek water.
Secondly, one mild stee l coupon was suspended
in 100 mL of creek water con tai ning cad mium
chloride (30 ppm) .
Thirdly, one mild steel coupon was suspended in
100 mL of creek water containing Rhodotorula
mucilaginosa (I ml of 105 ce ll s/mL).
Lastly , One mild stee l coupon was suspended in
100 mL of creek water containi ng cadm ium
chloride
(30
ppm)
and
Rhodotorula
mucilaginosa( I mL of 105 ce ll s/mL).
3.45 x 106 X

L1\\'

Corrosion rate (mpy) = - - - - --

A TD
where 6w = Weight loss of metal, A = Metal
area exposed, T = Time of exposure, D = Density of
metal.
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (10 5 ce ll s I mL) was
inoculated in 100 mL Thane creek water at pH 7.0
containing mild stee l coupon and cadm ium ch loride
(30 ppm) in steri le cond iti on. After 24 h incubation ,
the samp le was streaked on steri le Sabouraud ' s agar.
Fo llowin g the growth, the ce ll s were so ni cated for
2 h. SEM
(SU30 cameca) of Rh odotorul{/
mucilaginosa was carried out. The ce lls were spot
in ocul ated on a clean and dry stub, labe led and dried .
The stub was put in a vacuum chambe r to remove any
moist ure present in the ce ll s. Further, th e stub was
go ld plated for 30 min and loaded into the scann in g
chambe r for observation on the screen 14 The Energy
Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (Keve x instrument)
was carried out to determine the cadmium and ferrolls
ions weight per cent in Rhodotorula lI1ucilagillosa .
Heavy meta l uptake by AAS was done, accordin g to
the earlier meth od I S.
Electrochemical Study - The corros ion curren t
of mild stee l in Thane c reek water was measured
using EG and G PAR M273A potentiostat with M352
corrosion software. EG2G K0235 flat ce ll was used in
a ll the studi es . Platinum and Ag/AgC l 2 were used as
counte r and reference e lectrodes. T he mild steel
2
sampl e of area I cm was polarized to 250 mY with
respect to open circuit in both cathodi c and a nodic

685

DABHOLE & JOISHY : MILD STEEL CORROS ION REDUCTION IN WATER

directions. Using Tafel extrapolation method, the

l6
corresponding current was plotted . All experiments
were conducted after 30 min each from the time of
immersion of: (a) Mild steel coupon in Thane creek
and coolin g tower water sample and (b) Mild stee l
coupon in Thane 'c reek and cooling tower water
5
sample containing Rhodoto rula mucilaginosa (10
ce ll s/mL) .
Corrosion Rate Detection by Weight Loss
Method - A laboratory method was devi sed for
detecting corrosion rate reduction. The initial weight
of fourteen mild steel coupons were taken and
suspe nded in 1500 mL Thane creek water (pH 7 .0) in
a round bottom fla sk and sealed . 15 mL of
5
Rhodotorula mucilaginosa ( 10 cells/mL) was added
to the water from the side arm. A zero hour coupon
was take n out from the flask. The coupons were
incubated for 14 d . Each day one coupon was taken
out and corros ion rate de te rmined. On thirteenth day ,
a initi ally weighed mild steel coupon was inoculated
in Thane creek water and corrosion rate was
determined after 24 h.

Results and Discussion

Five yeast strain s were iso lated from Thane
creek and te n from Powai lake water sampl e.
Rhodoto rula l11ucilaginosa was found in Thane creek.
Rhodoto rula glutinis was present in Powai lake .
IS
not fermented
by
Rhodotorula
Glucose
tnllcilaginosa but assimi lati on of glucose was
obse rved. In Rhodoto rula J11ucilagillosa, maltose and
lactose is not assimilated. These results were found to
be s imilar to those re ported as a part of standard
identification of yeasts (Tabl e I ). The most common
spec ies re ported in water and sedime nt s of lake
Ontario in North America are Candida guillermondii
l
and Rhodo{omla l17Ltcilaginosa ?
In the present study, it was observed that
Rh odotoru /a J11ucilagilLosa (24 h o ld) were abl e to
take up dissolved oxygen within 24 h of incubati on in
Thane creek water. No suppl e me nt was prov ided to
Rhodolorula , exce pt those present in water sampl e.
I?h odororu/a l11ucilaginosa showed hi gh uptake of
di sso lved oxygen (2.8 ppm) as compared to other
yeas t spec ies (Table 2). As Rhodolom/a spec ies are
wide ly found in mar ine water, they are accl imatized
to Thane c reek environme nt. When cadmium c hl oride
was added to Thane creek water sampl e at different
conce ntrati on, the consumption of uptake of dissolved
oxygen was reduced due to cadmium tox ic ity at 30
ppm after 72 h. This shows that both Rhodotorula

Table I-Identificati o n of RllOdotorula lIlu ciiaginosa

Test

Resulls

Fermentation
Glu cose
Galactose
Maltose
Sucrose
Lactose
Assimilation
Glu cose
Galactose
Xylose
Sucrose
Maltose
Laclose
Mannitol
Ethanol

+
+

Urea
Nitrate
Di azoni um
Blue B
Growth at 25 C,

+
+

+
+

+
+

3011 C, 37 C
Note : Allihe tests were performed in triplicate sets
Table 2 -

Di sso lved oxygen uptake by yeas ts in Thane creek

water
Yeasts Dissolved D O uplake
oxygen (ppm)
(ppm)
Hallseillospora II va rum.
5.6
1. 5

Rhodotorula mucilagillosa

4.3

2.8

Debaromyces hallsellii

6.2

0 .9

Candida tropicalis

6.7

0.4

Saccharomyces cereviseae

5.4

1.7

Rhodotorula glutinis

5.0

2. 1

Note: Initi al dissolved oxygen - 7. 1 mg/L

Dissolved oxygen was determined after 72 h incubation at roo m
temperature.

species were able to take up di sso lved oxyge n in

Than e creek water below 30 ppm very effici e ntly.
Studies carried out , usin g Rh odotorula l11uci/agill os(l
in coo ling tower water indicated di sso lved oxygen
uptake after a pe riod of 24 h. Th e dissolved oxygen
uptake by Rhodotorula l11ucilaginosa in Thane c reek
water(6.9 mg/L) was found to be more as compared to
coo ling towe r water (6. 11 mg/L) in th e presence of
cadmium chloride (Tabl e 3) .
At pH 5 the corros ion rate of mild stee l in Thane
creek water reduced to 5.59 mpy from 13 .6 mpy upon
addition of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa . The initial
di sso lved oxygen (6.88 mg/L) was declin ed to 5. 17

J SCIIND RES VOL 62 JULY 2003

686

Tab le 3 -

Di ssolved oxygen uptake by yeasts

Water sample yeast strains time di ssolved oxygen (mg/L)

Without CdCI"

Thane creek

With CdCI2
10 ppm

20 ppm

30 ppm

5.2

6.1

6.9

RllOdolO mla

24

Mll cilag illosa

48

4 .3

5.0

5.7

6.8

72

4.2

4.9

5.7

0. 8

RhodolOrula

24

5.6

6.0

7.0

7. 1

glwillis

48

5.4

5.8

6.7

7.0

72

5. 1

5.6

6.7

7.0

4.8

No te: pH o f Thane creek - 7.!:!2 and initial di sso lved oxygen - 7.2 mg/L
Tab le 4 -

Mild steel corros ion reduction in Thane creek water by RhodolOrula IIllieilag ill osa (p H 5.0)

Sample

Initi al wt of
mild steel

Final wt of
mild steel

IW-FW of
mild steel

(g)

(g)

(g)

(mpy)

SO"

(pp m)

Mild steel ClJ upo n+ Thane creek water sa mple

4.407

4.4052

0.0018

13.6

(0.057)

Ferro us = 8.77

Mild steel co upon+ Thane creek water

sa mpl e+CdCl 2

6.4847

6.48 15

0.0032

12.3

(0. 152)

Mild steel coupon+ Thane creek wa ter

sampl e+RllOdolorula IIllicilagin osa

7. 1683

7. 1662

0.0021

5.59

(0.0 1)

Ferrous = O. 157

Mi ld steel cO ll pon+ Thane creek water

sa mpl e+CdC I2+ RhodolOmla IIlllcilagillo.w

6.8023

6.8006

0.0017

5.95

(0.025 )

CJdmium= I .S!:!

SO" -

Metal uptake
Corrosion rate

The Standard Dev iati o n is va lu e of three indepe ndent experiment s under identi cal condit io ns

Initia l di ssolved oxygen - 6.88 mg/L andlin al di ssolved oxyge n - 5. 17 mg/L

mg/L. The upta ke of cadmium chlorid e ( 1.88 ppm)

and
fe rro us
(0.157
ppm)
by
Rhodotoru/a
lIIuci/ag in oso s howed affinity toward s cadmium
c hl o ride. The res ult s a re prese nted in Tabl e 4.
At pH 7 the co rrosion rate was reduced
signifi ca nt ly to 1.48 mpy. It c an be observed that
uptake of cadmium and fe rro us io ns is less du e to
hi gh uptake of di sso l\red ox ygen. These resu lts
indi cate that th e resp irati on by Rh odotorula
1I111ci/agillos(l is a contin o us process during which
cadmium io ns are absorbed rapidl y, as observed from
Tab le 5.
A t pH 9.0, the co rros io n rate did not c han ge
app rec iab ly indi catin g that alkaline pH cond iti on was
not fav o urabl e for growth and activity of RhodotomLa
IIll1 ci/og in osa. F urth e r, a lkaline condition itse lf is
know n to be res ponsibl e fo r causing co rros ion. [n thi s
case, th e uptake of cadmium and ferrous ion s tS
co nsiderab ly hi g he r th an at pH 5 and 7 (Table 6). [n
Tab le 7, w he n mild stee l co upon was inoculated In

coo ling towe r water at pH 7.0 in presence and

absence of Rhodotorula l11ucilaginosa , c orros io n rate
was found to be reduced by 50 per cent (F igure I ).
pH 7 was fo und to be idea l fo r uptake of
cadmium and
ferrou s ion s by Rhodotorula
l11ucilaginosa. The resu lts indi ca te th at pH p lays a
c riti ca l rol e in reduc in g corrosio n rate. In a similar
study , a protective effect of Pseudomonas fragi and
Escherchia coli DH5 was found to redu e co rros io n
6
of stee l .
A labo rato ry me th od for co nfirmin g mild
co rro sio n reduction in water showed that co rros ion
decreased from 4.4 mpy to 0.85 I mpy. The corrosion
rate dec reased pe ri odicall y over 14 d afte r w hi c h th e
coupon inocul ated on thirteenth day showed corros io n
rate of 0.850 mpy. The ex pe rime nts carried out
s howed that mild stee l corrosion in Th an c reek W<l te r
reduced significantly at pH 7 . Co mpar-a ble res u lts
have been o btained by screening of 22 marin e iso lates
to exa mjne the ir effect on co rros io n of carbo n steel

687

DABHOLE & JOISHY: M ILD STEEL CORROS ION REDUCTION IN WATER

Tab le 5 -

Mild steel corrosion redu ction in Thane creek water by Rhod%ru la lIIuciiagillosa (pH 7.0)
Initi al wt of
mi ld steel
(g)

Final wt of
mild steel
(g)

IW-FWof
mild steel
(g)

Corrosion rate
(mpy) SD"

Mi ld steel co upon+ Thane creek water sample

4.8089

4.8055

0.0034

9.62(0.0 15)

Mild steel coupon+Th ane creek water

sample+CdC l2

4.6578

4.6546

0.0032

9.52 (0.04 1)

Mi Id stee l co upon+Thane creek water

6.4638

6.4633

0.0005

1.48 (0.020)

Ferrous

7.0571

7.0565

0.0006

1.37 (0.026)

Cadmium

Sample

Metal uptake
(pp m)

= 6.76

Ferrous

= 0.071

sa mpl e+Rhod%ruia IIIl1cilag illosa

Mild steel coupon+ Thane creek water

sample+CdCl 2 + Rhod%m la IrIllciiagillo.m

= 0.1 O~

SD" - The Standard Deviation is value of three inde pendent experiments under identical conditions
Initial disso lved oxygen - 6.91 mg/L and Final di sso lved oxygen - 4.64 mg/L
T able 6- Mild steel corrosion reduction in Thane creek water by Rhod%rllia I/lllcilagill osa (p H 9.0)
Sample

Initi al wt of
mi ld stee l
(g)

Final wt of
mild steel
(g)

IW-FWof
mild steel
(g)

Corrosion rate
(mpy) SD"

Mild steel coupon + Thane creek water sample

4.4628

4.4612

0.0016

4.49 (0.035)

Mild steel cou pon + Thane creek wate r

sample+ CdCl:!

5.6804

5.6781

0.0023

5. 36 (0.02)

Mild steel co upon + Thane creek water

sample+ Rhod%m la Illl1cilag ill osa

6. 1422

6.1414

0.0008

Mild steel coupon + Thane creek water

sample+ CdCI 2 + Rhod% rllia l1luciiaginosa

5.2446

5.2435

0.0011

SD" -

Metaluptak
(p pm)
Ferrous

= 4.21

3.03 (0.047)

Ferrous

= O. 13

3.26 (0.015)

Cadmium

= 0.73

The standard deviation is va lu e o f three independent experiments under identical conditions

Initi al di ssolved oxygen - 7. 14 mg/L and Final dissolved oxygen - 6.83 mglL
Table 7 -

Mild steel corrosion redu cti o n in cooling tower water by Rhod%ru ia muciiaginosa (pH 7.0)
Corrosion rate
(mpy) SD"

Ferrous uptake
(pp m)

CdCI :! uptake
(ppm)

Dissolved ox yge n
(ppm)

Mild steel co upo n+Thane c reek water sample

12.3(0. 152)

3.77

7.6

Mild steel coupon+Thane c reek water sample+CdCl 2

12.2(0.208)

3.4 1

29.91

7.7

Mild steel co upo n+Thane c ree k water

5.84(0.011 )

1. 124

5.3

6.31 (0.025)

I. I 13

2.16

6.11

Sample

sa mple+Rhod% rula 1llllcilaginoS{J

Mild stee l cOl.lpon+Tha'ne creek water sa mp le+CdCl 2 +

Rh od%

SD" -

m/a lI1ucilag ill oslI

The sta ndard deviation is va lue of three independent experiment s und er id enti cal conditions

Initial di sso lved oxygen - 7.7 mg/L

A619. In batc h cultures, 16 iso lates showed corrosion

17
reduction than the control
Scanning e lectron microscopy showed the
presence of cadmium and ferrous ions in the
cytoplasm ic region of the Rhodotorula l11ucilaginosa
as observed from Figure 2. The e nergy di spers ive

x-ray spectroscopy for cadmium and ferrou s ion

detection in Rhodotorula mucilaginosa showed 41.46
per cent as cadmium as compared to 13.54 per cent as
ferrous .
The e lectrochemical studies showed th at the
current obtained was directl y proportional to the

688

J SCI INO RES VOL 62 JULY 2003

-150 r-----------------------------..---------.

- 250
- 350

ad4
ad3

- 450

:;-

..s w

550

- 650

- 750
- 850. L
8 ....J.....J...J...L.J..WJ.
. 7--'-W.llll:.L-.L...J...J..lJ.wL....J.....L...l.LuuL--<.. .~.
.......:......c...wCllW
6
5
-4
- 3
-2
w"

I I area (A I em

-,"
;-

2)

10

Figure 3 - Electrochemica l study or mild steel in Than e creek

water: ad 4-Mild steel in Th ane creek water,ad 3 . Mild steel in
Th ane creek water cont aining Rh odolOmla IIl1 lcilag ill osa

- 250

Fi gure 1- ( I ) Mild steel co upon in Than e creek water,

(2) Mild steel coupon in Th ane creek wat er containing
I<hodolOmla IIIf(r ilag ill osa ,(3) Mild steel co upon in
cool in g wa ter, (4) Mild stee l Co upon in Coo ling
water con tai ning RIIOr/u/o mla IIl/1cilagillosa

ad 1
ad2

- 350

- 650
- 750
- 7

- 6

II area (A I

-5

em

- 4

2)

10

Fi gu re 4 - Elec trochemical sl udy or mi ld sleel i n coo ling water:

ad I-Mild steel in cool ing wa ter, ad 2-M ild steel in L'oo ling W:1ter
con taining Rlwd% mla IIll1 r ilag illol'll

mg/ L with a current of II flamp. Wh en Rh odotorul a

Figure :2 -

SEM <Inaly,is or cytop lasmic rrac tion or N/1Ot/% mla

1If(lCilagillosa exposed to cadmiu m chl oride (30Pl1m) [2000X I

cor ros ion rate of T hane cree k wa ter sa mple . The

initia l Di sso lved oxyge n was found to be 6.8 Illg/L
and showed a current of S5 flamp. Wh en Rh odotorul a
mll cibginos a was in oc ulated in Th ane creek water
co ntainin g mild stee l co upon for 24 h, th e Disso lved
oxyge n redu ced to J .I I11g/L with it current of J.5
f..lamp (Figure J). Wh en coolin g towe r wate r was
used, th e initial Di sso lved oxyge n was round to be 7.7

mu cilagin osa was inoculated in coo lin g towe r water

containing mild steel coupon, the di sso lved oxygen
reduced to 6. 1 mg/L with a curre nt or 7 flLllnp
(Fi gure 4).
Care was taken to maint ain th e so lutio n vo lume :
area rati o and th e co rrosion rates were d te rmined as
per the ASTM standard '6 Thus th e measured
red uction in corros ion current is in {IQree ment with
that reported in th e literaturel ~ . The ~a bove stu d ies
present compa rati ve data in both we ight loss and
electrochemical meth od for Thane cree k \vater.
Conclusion

The work desc ribed e mphasizes on the uptake of

dissolved oxyge n by J<h odotorulll Jl lI !(.;ila gillo .m.
Today, Process Indu stri es incur heavy losses du e to
differe nt types of co rros ion. Use of mar ine yeast like,

DA BHOLE & JOISHY : MILD STEEL CORROSION RED UCTION IN WATER

Rhodotorula l11ucilaginosa (a lso known to produce

Siderophore) to reduce oxygen corrosion of mi ld steel
in water may so lve many proble ms occulTIng 111
coo lin g towe rs.

References
I

Rad isky 0 & Kaplan J,Regul ati on o f tran sitio n metal

transpo rt across th e yeast pl as ma me mbrane, ASTM J Bioi
Chelll , 274 (8) (1999) 448 1-4484.
Sittig M, Eleclrol'lalin.i!, all d relalill g mela l .Iin.ishillg Pollr./lw/l alld loxic IIw leria ls conl ro l (Noyes Data
Co rpo rati o n, Parkridge, Ncw jcrsey, USA) 1978 .

Burgess A W, Reco'ngllilion o{ hea llh hazards in. induslI )' A review (!t IIwl erials a nd fl rocesses, 2'1(1 cd (Jo hn Wil ey and
So ns, New Yo rk ) 1995.

Dubicl M, Hsu C H, C hein C C, Mansti eld & New man 0 K,

Mi c robial iro n respirati on ca n protect steel fro m co rro sion,
Afll'l Ell viron Microbiol, 68 (3) (2002) 1440- 1445.

()

Potekhina J S , Ro le of microo rgani sms in corrosion

inhibiti o n of metals in aqu ati c hab it ats. Appl Microbiol
Bioleehllol. 52 (5) ( 1999) 639-646.
Jayarama n A, Im portance of biofilm fo rmati o n for co rro sio n
inhi bition of SAE steel by axe ni c aerobi c biotllms, J Ind
MieroiJiol Bioleell/IOI, 18 (6) ( 1997) 396-40 I .

Poyton R 0 , Burke P V & Eve rts F, A fe rme nto r syste m for

regul atin g oxygen at low co ncentrati o ns in cultures of
Saccharomyces cereviseae, Apfll En viron. Microhio l, 64 (3)

( 1998) 1040-1044.
8

Hamilto n A W , Sulphate redu cin g bac teri a a nd anaerob ic

corrosion , Ann Rev Mierobiol, 39 ( 1985) 195 - 2 17.

Chaudary G S, Emerging mi crobial co nt ro l ti ss ues in coo ling

tower water syste ms, Hydroc Process, 77 (5) ( 1998) 91-102.

10

Fontanna M G & Greene N D, Co rrosion ell gineering

(McG raw- Hill , New Yo rk ) 1967.

II

Barnett A J & Yarro w F, Yeasl.\': chara clerislics ollli

nd
identifiealion , 2 ed (Ca mbridge Uni vers it y Press) 1990.

12

Eaton A 0 & Clesceri A E. Sian.dard l1I elhods for

eXCIIl1illaiio/J. ofwale r and waslewale r, 19'" cd (APHA ) 1995.

Acknowledgement
The authors a re grate ful to Dr H S Srinivasan for
carrying out e lectrochemical studi es and hi s views on
ex perime nts. They are also thankful to Dr C S
Hare ndranath and Bharathi Shetye (IlT, Mumbai ) for
SEM and EOX anal ys is.

689

13

G 3-89, Anllllal book ofASTM slandards , Vol 03.02, 1999.

14

Meek A G, Praclical eleelron microscoflY, 2 nd ed (Jo hn

Wiley and Sons, New York) 1976 .

15

Avery V S & Tobin M J , Mechani s ms o f s tro nt ium uptake

by labo ratory and brewing strain s o f Saceha rolll."ces
cereviseae , Al'pl Ell viron Microbiol, 58 ( 12) ( 1992) 3883 -

16

G 1-90, Anllual book of ASTM slandards , Vol 03.02, 1999.

17

Pederson A & He rmans so n, Bacteli al co rro sion of iron in

seawate r insitu and in aerob ic and anaerob ic sys te ms. FEMS
Microbiol Em /, 86 (2) ( 199 1) 139- 148.

18

Schweitzer P A, Co rrosion eng in eerin g hOfl(/h ook (Marcel

Dekker) 1996.

19

Rose A H & Harrison S J, Th e l'eaSIS - Yeasls all d Ihe

nd
en vironl11enl, 2 cd (Acad emi c Pr~ss, Lo nd on) 1987.

3889.