Diesel Associated Corrosion

Diesel is a fuel derived from petroleum, consisting of paraffinic, olefinic and aromatic hydrocarbons, whose carbon chains range from C8 to C40, also containing sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, metals and different additives.

Currently, there is a worldwide trend towards its use in mixture with some biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.

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Due to the fact that diesel contains sulfur compounds in its composition, corrosion can occur due to the action of these substances or it can, for example, be associated with the microbial degradation of diesel, which causes a decrease in its pH. Especially, the steels that make up tanks can be corroded by diesel degraded by Penicillium sp., Candida sp. and Aspergillus sp. In fact, microbial degradation of diesel and other hydrocarbon fuels is the main cause of corrosion in storage tanks. Microbial corrosion causes enormous economic losses, altering fuel quality and impairing fuel production, storage and transportation. In general, the main microorganisms associated with this type of corrosion are anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria, aerobic bacteria and fungi.