Green Approach to Corrosion Inhibition of Mild Steel in Sulphuric Acid Solution using Extract of Banana Leaves

Abstract

The inhibition of the corrosion of mild steel in sulphuric acid solution by the extract of banana leaves has been studied using weight loss, Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Inhibition was found to increase with increasing concentration of the leaves extract. Maximum inhibition efficiency observed 94.91% at optimum concentration of inhibitor. The inhibition was assumed to occur via adsorption of the inhibitor molecules on the metal surface. The adsorption of the extract component on the mild steel surface obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The results obtained show that the extract of the leaves of banana could serve as an effective inhibitor of the corrosion of mild steel in sulphuric acid medium.

Keywords: Adsorption, Corrosion, Mild steel, Weight loss, Inhibition efficiency