Study of the corrosion behavior of Aspergillus niger on 7075-T6 aluminum alloy in a high salinity environment.

In this study, the corrosion behavior of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy in a high salinity environment containing Aspergillus niger was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, surface analysis and electrochemical measurement. Results demonstrated that uniform and localized corrosion rates of the alloy in the presence of A. niger were approximately 3.7 and 22.4 times, respectively, of that in the absence A. niger. This higher corrosion rate was attributed to accelerated anode and cathode reactions from the actions of A. niger biofilm. Additionally, organic acid corrosion caused by the presence of A. niger was confirmed to be the main cause for the corrosion of aluminum alloy.