5. Bacteria and corrosion of non-ferrous metals

Most metals and alloys are sensitive to the presence of micro-organisms, not only alloyed and unalloyed steels, but also nickel, copper, aluminum and their alloys.

Only materials with a highly stable passive layer, such as tantalum, zirconium and their alloys, appear to be resistant to bacterial action . However, it has been noted that titanium can show pitting corrosion facies in the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria