Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Innovating molecular methods for enhanced diagnostics and optimal treatment strategies

“Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a costly problem faced by many industrial sectors. Currently practised MIC diagnostic methods recognise the presence of microbes, but are incapable of identifying exactly which microbes are present, and their potential role in possible corrosion events. This disconnect often leads to sub-optimal corrosion management strategies, and even wastage of treatment resources. Novel DNA-based (molecular) MIC diagnostic techniques offer distinct advantages over traditional culture-based methods, but involve complex workflows and extensive off-site analyses. Leveraging the expertise of the proposed fellow, OSP Microcheck intends to research and develop an innovative product line that would streamline molecular MIC diagnostics by allowing DNA extraction (representative of the community) and even select molecular analyses to readily occur in-field alongside conventional, routine assays. DNA obtained will be subjected to two molecular analyses, 16S metagenomics and functional gene qPCR. Working closely with OSPs clients, this data will be used to lead a scientific exploration of the relationships, causations, and correlations between MIC events, microbial communities and treatment/prevention strategies. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Raymond Turner

Student:

Marc Demeter

Partner:

OSP Microcheck

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of Calgary