Cycas inermis plant leaves extract as an environmental-friendly corrosion inhibitor extracted by efficient Soxhlet extraction technique for soft cast steel in 1 MH2SO4

Abstract

Plant extracts as corrosion inhibitors have received significant attention due to their potential activities and cost-effectiveness. In this current work, it is intended to utilize the inhibitive activity of the Cycas inermis plant leaves extract (CILE) to mitigate the corrosion of soft cast steel (SCS) in sulfuric acid medium and reduce the environmental risk. The studies revealed that the inhibition efficiency of CILE increases with higher concentrations of the inhibitor but decreases with rising temperatures. The maximum inhibition efficiency of 96.15% has been achieved at a concentration of 2.0 g/L. The adsorption of CILE on the SCS surface follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Surface morphology analyses of both uninhibited and inhibited SCS have been evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. SEM analysis indicated that the metal surface is significantly protected from aggressive corrosion due to the inhibitor. AFM visualization confirms the formation of a protective layer on the steel surface, which resulted in a reduction in surface roughness. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of CILE as an effective, environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor for soft cast steel in acidic environments.