Microbially influenced corrosion of glass

Microbially influenced corrosion of glass and countermeasures were studied by literature research and by an investigation of contaminated glass samples. Such corrosion is often linked to the growth of fungi. It is assumed that glass composition is not the decisive factor in biogenic contamination, but can encourage or retard the microbial activity significantly. It is suggested that a biochemically initialed ion-exchange reaction is most important for corrosion of glass exposed to the atmosphere. Future work will emphasize the biotechnological applications in the recovery of heavy metals from special glasses.