The effect of synthesized Cu2O on the microbial corrosion inhibition of urban sewer systems

Abstract

The microbial corrosion of reinforced concrete sewers was inhibited by synthesized cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) nanoparticles. The antibacterial characteristics of Cu₂O on Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans were investigated by temporal variation of pH, turbidity, and bacterial counting. Three reinforced concrete samples with different weight percentages of electrodeposited Cu₂O (0.06 wt%, 0.055 wt %, 0.05 wt %) were used. The bacterial counting showed that the number of bacteria in samples with 0.06, 0.055, and 0.05 wt% of Cu₂O was 4.82, 4.42, and 2.94 times lower than the blank sample (BS), respectively. After bacterial growth, the optical density measurement showed that the percentage of turbidity enhancement for samples with 0.06, 0.055, and 0.05 wt% of Cu₂O were 108%, 118%, 165%, respectively, while it was 412% for the BS. Moreover, the pilot stage's pH monitoring revealed that the electrodeposited Cu₂O lowered the concentration of hydronium between 7 to 81 times compared to the BS. Experiments indicated that slight changes in the amount of electrodeposited Cu₂O lead to significant changes in samples' ability to hinder bacterial growth and microbial-induced corrosion.