CORROSIÓN BACTERIANA EN CONDICIONES REPRESENTATIVAS DE UN ALMACÉN GEOLÓGICO PROFUNDO

In a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for high-level radioactive waste it is not discarded that the metal container that contains and confines the nuclear waste may undergo microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Bacteria naturally occurring in groundwater, rocks and filler material surrounding the container are capable of promoting, accelerating (or inhibiting) corrosion processes due to the formation of biofilms, or due to the generation of corrosive metabolic products. Among the bacteria involved in corrosion phenomena, the sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), commonly observed in groundwater environments typical of clay and granite geological formations are, from a corrosion perspective, of major importance since these bacteria produce sulphide, highly corrosive for many metals