Integral fuel tanks corrosion by fungal species proliferation

Abstract EN

Twenty four samples of kerosene fuel from storage tanks were analyzed for fungal contamination, (11) different species were isolated and it was possible to verify the presence of Cladosporium resinae as the principle contaminant in these samples followed by Alternaria alternata, none of the isolated fungi alone except C.

resinae were able to utilize kerosene as a sole source of carbon and energy, electrochemical technique reveals the type and magnitude of the attack expected and results showed that pitting potential (Ep) values falls with increasing incubation period and the aggressiveness of the medium toward the aluminum alloy as measured by (Ep), corrosion potential (Ec), corrosion current (Ic), pH and type of attack appears to be related to those parameters and to the accumulation of the metabolites in the aqueous phase due to kerosene utilization.