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Assessment of the Corrosion Inhibition Behaviour of Aqueous Leaf Extracts from Yam, Maize, and Cassava on Mild Steel in Sulphuric Acid (H₂SO₄) Medium
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Corrosion Inhibition
Abstract
The corrosion inhibition performance of aqueous leaf extracts of yam (Dioscorea rotundata), maize (Zea mays), and cassava (Manihot esculenta) on mild steel exposed to 0.5 and 1.0 M sulphuric acid (H2SO4) was investigated using the gravimetric weight-loss method. Mild-steel specimens were weighed before immersion and exposed to uninhibited acid solutions and corresponding solutions containing 15 cm³ of the respective aqueous leaf extracts. The specimens were removed at 168 h intervals over a total exposure period of 672 h, cleaned, dried, and reweighed to determine mass loss and corrosion rate. In both acid concentrations, addition of the plant extracts substantially reduced the measured corrosion rates relative to the uninhibited controls. In 0.5 M H2SO4, the corrosion rates at 672 h were 0.00006, 0.00009, and 0.00008 mm yr−1 for yam, maize, and cassava extracts, respectively, compared with 0.00026 mm yr−1 for the control. The corresponding values in 1.0 M H2SO4 were 0.00012, 0.00016, and 0.00009 mm yr−1, respectively, compared with 0.00041 mm yr−1 for the control. The results demonstrate that the aqueous extracts possess corrosion-inhibiting activity and that their performance depends on both the botanical source and acid concentration. The observed inhibition is consistent with the ability of phytochemical constituents, including phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and other oxygen- and nitrogen-containing compounds, to adsorb at the metal–electrolyte interface and reduce access of corrosive species to the steel surface. The findings support the potential use of locally available plant leaves as inexpensive and renewable sources of corrosion inhibitors for acidic industrial environments.
Keywords
aqueous leaf extract; green corrosion inhibition; mild steel; sulphuric acid; yam, maize and cassava leaves
How to cite this paper
@article{1724200,
author = {Blessing Jacintha Ifeanyichukwu, Mercy Uwem Useh},
title = {Assessment of the Corrosion Inhibition Behaviour of Aqueous Leaf Extracts from Yam, Maize, and Cassava on Mild Steel in Sulphuric Acid (H₂SO₄) Medium},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {3146-3158},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1724200.pdf},
abstract = {The corrosion inhibition performance of aqueous leaf extracts of yam (Dioscorea rotundata), maize (Zea mays), and cassava (Manihot esculenta) on mild steel exposed to 0.5 and 1.0 M sulphuric acid (H2SO4) was investigated using the gravimetric weight-loss method. Mild-steel specimens were weighed before immersion and exposed to uninhibited acid solutions and corresponding solutions containing 15 cm³ of the respective aqueous leaf extracts. The specimens were removed at 168 h intervals over a total exposure period of 672 h, cleaned, dried, and reweighed to determine mass loss and corrosion rate. In both acid concentrations, addition of the plant extracts substantially reduced the measured corrosion rates relative to the uninhibited controls. In 0.5 M H2SO4, the corrosion rates at 672 h were 0.00006, 0.00009, and 0.00008 mm yr−1 for yam, maize, and cassava extracts, respectively, compared with 0.00026 mm yr−1 for the control. The corresponding values in 1.0 M H2SO4 were 0.00012, 0.00016, and 0.00009 mm yr−1, respectively, compared with 0.00041 mm yr−1 for the control. The results demonstrate that the aqueous extracts possess corrosion-inhibiting activity and that their performance depends on both the botanical source and acid concentration. The observed inhibition is consistent with the ability of phytochemical constituents, including phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and other oxygen- and nitrogen-containing compounds, to adsorb at the metal–electrolyte interface and reduce access of corrosive species to the steel surface. The findings support the potential use of locally available plant leaves as inexpensive and renewable sources of corrosion inhibitors for acidic industrial environments.},
keywords = {aqueous leaf extract; green corrosion inhibition; mild steel; sulphuric acid; yam, maize and cassava leaves},
month = {October},
}