Corrosion Inhibition of Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid by Tannins Rom Rhizophora Racemosa

Abstract

Studies on the corrosion behaviour of mild steel electrodes in inhibited hydrochloric acid are described. Conventional weight loss measurements show that a maximum concentration of 140 ppm of tannin from Rhizophora racemosa is required to achieve 72% corrosion inhibition. Similar concentration of tannin: H3PO4 in ratio 1:1 gave 61% inhibition efficiency, whereas efficiency obtained for phosphoric acid as inhibitor in the same environment was 55%. Corrosion rates obtained over six hours of exposure in 1M HCl solution at inhibitor concentrations of 140 ppm are 2 mA/cm2, 2.4 mA/cm2, 2.6 mA/cm2 and 6 mA/cm2 for tannin, tannin/H3PO4 and H3PO4-inhibited and uninhibited specimens respectively. Natural atmospheric exposure studies revealed that specimens treated in H3PO4 resisted corrosion for three weeks, while tannin treated specimens suffered corrosion attack after one week of exposure tests.