Assessment Of Corrosion Efficiency And Volatile Organic Compounds Content For A Green Coating With Novel Additive Of Leucaena Leucocephala

Abstract

A large number of anti-corrosion coatings containing volatile solvents with aliphatic hydrocarbons, formaldehyde and benzene are produced annually with the risk of releasing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. In this study, a commercial coating product for protecting steel is compared with the newly formulated green coating for the quantification of VOC content. The comparison was executed using the mass difference method following ASTM D2369-03. The extract and formulated coating were also subjected to optical, electrochemical and morphological studies, ie, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Scanning Electron Microscope/Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM/EDX). Based on the extract characterization, functional groups of hydroxyl, carboxylic acid and carbonyl with wavenumbers of 3350.cm-1, 2947.23 cm-1 and 1053.13 cm-1, respectively were identified. Also, coating with 3 wt.% of Leucaena leucocephala leaves extract (LLE), P2 showed a consistent optimum performance in reducing corrosion until the 40th day with a rate of 3.14 x10-3 mm/year. The P2 sample was later subjected to VOCs content analysis, and the outcome displayed a lower VOCs content of 345.40 g/L compared to a commercial product, which fulfilled the standard requirement for low-VOC paint by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hence, it can be concluded that the developed green anticorrosion coating possessed low VOCs content with excellent abilities in protecting steel exposed to an aggressive environment.