Detection of the synergetic influence of chemical and microbiological factors on the properties of concrete constructions at chemical plants during the long-term service

Abstract

Long-term operation of reinforced concrete structures in the conditions of chemical enterprises has a powerful negative impact on the physical and chemical properties of concrete, which leads to its destruction. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of biological and chemical corrosion on concrete structures in the workshop for the production of titanium dioxide by the sulphate method and the storage of finished products. In particular, chemical production for the synthesis of titanium dioxide by the sulfate method causes the rapid course of chemical (acid and sulfate) and microbiological (thionic bacteria and microscopic fungi) corrosion processes. These corrosion processes reinforce each other according to a synergistic principle. As a result, tem-perature-programmed desorption mass spectrometry (TPD MS) and scanning electron microscopy have experimentally proven the presence and spatial localization of colonies of thionic bacteria and microscopic fungi in concrete structures. Correlations between the intensity of biochemical corrosion and the depth of damage to the microstructures of concrete structures have been established. Moreover, a change in the chemical composition of concrete in the workshop for the production of titanium dioxide (increased SO2content and reduced CO2) and the formation of gypsum crystals (CaSO4⋅2H2O) as a result of the dissimilation of microorganisms was established. Also, in the storage room for finished products, calcium citrate crystals and a violation of the formation of calcium carbonate are formed in the surface layers of concrete. In addition, the results of the study can be used to develop antimicrobial and anticorrosive protective agents to stop the biochemical corrosion of concrete in a chemical plant.