Microbial corrosion
Microbial corrosion, also known as microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), microbially induced corrosion (MIC) or biocorrosion, occurs when microbes affect the electrochemical environment of the surface on which they are fixed. This usually involves the formation of a biofilm, which can either increase the corrosion of the surface or, in a process called microbial corrosion inhibition, protect the surface from corrosion.