Further results on the in situ anaerobic corrosion of carbon steel and copper in compacted bentonite exposed to natural Opalinus Clay porewater containing native microbial populations

Since 2012, a long-term in situ corrosion experiment (IC-A) is being conducted in the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland to investigate the corrosion behaviour of candidate canister materials in conditions representative of the Swiss concept for the disposal of high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel. To date, carbon steel and various types of copper coatings have been retrieved after different exposure periods of up to 3 years, and characterised to establish the composition of the corrosion product, the morphology of the corroded surface, the nature of the interaction between the metal and the surrounding bentonite, and the microbial populations in the bentonite and surrounding porewater. For carbon steel specimens, a complex corrosion product was identified, consisting predominantly of magnetite. Much less alteration on either the metal or the bentonite was observed in the case of copper samples. Low average anaerobic corrosion rates were measured for carbon steel and a very modest amount of alteration was identified on copper. The density and the initial form of the bentonite had a small influence on the rate of corrosion, across all materials. This paper summarises the results of the experimental programme obtained to date and discusses the relationship observed between exposure time and the evolution of the metal–bentonite interface for both carbon steel and copper.