Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract as effective eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor in a hydrochloric acid pickling medium for carbon steel by using both experimental and theoretical studies.

Abstract

The present study focuses on an environmental approach based on the use of an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor from the Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract for enhancement corrosion resistance of carbon steel (C-S) in acid medium as an alternative to various organic and non-organic chemical inhibitors. The evaluation of the inhibition properties of the fruit methanolic extract of Citrullus colocynthis (CCE) were performed in molar hydrochloric acid (1M HCl) medium using gravimetric and electrochemical (potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance) techniques as well as surface analyses. CCE is rich in amino acids, mainly citrulline and β-(pyrazo-1-yl)-L-analine molecules. Based on the weight loss evaluation, the results demonstrated that this plant extract acts as an effective corrosion inhibitor and a protection level of 93.6% was attained at 500ppm of CCE after 6h of metal exposure at 303K. According to polarization curves, CCE functions as a mixed-type inhibitor. In addition, AC impedance analyses have shown that the incorporation of CCE into the corrosive solution leads to a decrease in load capacity, while improving the charge/discharge function at the interface. This suggests the possibility of the formation of an adsorbed layer on the C-S surface. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, contact angle measurements, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses supported the development of a protective film over CS substrate surface afterwards addition of CCE. Langmuir and/or Temkin isotherms can be used to characterize the adsorption of this organic inhibitor on the C-S surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has revealed that the inhibiting effect of CCE on the corrosion of C-S in 1M HCl solution is mainly controlled by a chemisorption process and the inhibitive layer is composed of an iron oxide/hydroxide mixture where CCE molecules are incorporated. In order to understand the relationship between the molecular structure and anti-corrosion effectiveness of these inhibitor molecules, quantum chemical studies were carried out using density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation.