Effect of Gongronema latifolium extract on aluminium corrosion in acidic and alkaline media

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to appraise the effectiveness of Gongronema latifolium extract as an environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor for aluminium in strong acid (2 M HCl) and alkaline (2 M KOH) environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Corrosion rates were determined using the gas‐volumetric technique. The efficiency of inhibition was estimated by comparing corrosion rates in absence and presence of the additive, while the mechanism of inhibition was assessed by considering temperature effects on corrosion and inhibition processes.

Findings

The results show that the extract was well adsorbed on the metal surface and significantly repressed aluminium corrosion in both environments. Inhibition efficiency generally increased with concentration up to maximum values of 97.54 and 90.82 per cent in 2 M HCl and 2 M KOH, respectively. Temperature dependence studies revealed that the extract was chemically adsorbed on the aluminium surface at all concentrations in 2 M HCl and physically adsorbed in 2 M KOH, with likely tendency to become chemisorbed at higher concentration.

Originality/value

Gongronema latifolium has been studied for the first time as an inhibitor of aluminium corrosion and the results suggest that the extract could find practical application in corrosion control in aqueous acidic and alkaline environments. The findings are particularly useful, considering the scarcity of reports on the effective inhibition of aluminium corrosion in strong alkaline solutions.

Citation

Oguzie, E.E., Onuoha, G.N. and Ejike, E.N. (2007), "Effect of Gongronema latifolium extract on aluminium corrosion in acidic and alkaline media", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 44-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/03699420710718751