The use of rare earth cations as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in aerated NaCl solution

Abstract

Purpose

Application of rare earth (RE) salts as a corrosion inhibitor was first proposed by Goldie and McCarrol in 1984. They showed that, with the addition of 0.001 M of Ce(NO₃) or La(NO₃) to 3.5% NaCl solution, the inhibition efficiencies were 91 and 82% for carbon steel, respectively. The aim of this paper is to study the inhibition of a mixture of Ce and La cations on the corrosion prevention of St37 carbon steel in aerated NaCl solutions using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, open circuit potential and constant potential measurements.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, St37 steel was used as an experimental sample. The applied inhibitor was a powder mixture of Ce and La oxides with the ratio of Ce/La = 2/1. Each gram of this powder was dissolved in 4 cc acetic acid because of their insolubility in water. Steel samples were polished with 120 to 800 grit SiC polishing papers, deoxidized in 15 per cent HCl, and then ultrasonically cleaned in ethanol. They were degreased in acetone and were dried in a flow of hot air.

Findings

It has been shown that a mixture of RE cations (Ce and La) can be used as a corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in NaCl containing solutions. The optimum inhibitor concentration was found to be 500 ppm with a maximum inhibition efficiency of 76%. An increase in Cl⁻ ion concentration and a rise in temperature from room temperature to 70°C can have an adverse effect on corrosion inhibition efficiency.

Originality/value

The results obtained from various experiments indicated that the mixture of Ce and La cations could be considered as a suitable inhibitor for carbon steel in low to medium chloride‐containing solutions. Owing to their non‐toxic nature, they may be suitable to use in potable water pipelines.

Citation

Amadeh, A., Allahkaram, S.R., Hosseini, S.R., Moradi, H. and Abdolhosseini, A. (2008), "The use of rare earth cations as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in aerated NaCl solution", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 55 No. 3, pp. 135-143. https://doi.org/10.1108/00035590810870446