Controlling Environmental Factors of Microbiologically Influenced Concrete Corrosion in Sewers

Microbiologically influenced concrete corrosion occurs in sewers through two distinct stages, i.e., initiation and deterioration. Although different concretes have various corrosion resistance, both corrosion stages are known to be affected by the sewer environmental conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity, and most importantly gaseous hydrogen sulfide concentration. In addition, wastewater itself was also identified as an important factor in the corrosion process. The location of concrete surface relative to the wastewater level was also found to be critical in both lab experiments and field studies in real sewers. Recent research advance has identified, delineated, and quantified these controlling environmental factors and their variations on the MICC in sewers. The knowledge about controlling environmental factors is not only important for the operation and management of sewer systems, but also critical for the development of mathematical models for sewer concrete corrosion. This chapter summarizes recent findings about different environmental factors that are controlling the corrosion development