EFFECTS OF PROCESS PARAMETERS ON MILDSTEEL CORROSION INHIBITION BY ETHYL ESTER OF RUBBER SEED OIL

Offurum, J.C.; Dike M.C., Akuchie C.J., Nwaneri T.U. and Mbadike C.A.

Department of Chemical Engineering,

Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo-Ohaji

Email:  jullyengine@yahoo.com

Abstract: This research was anchored on the Effects of Process Parameters on Mildsteel Corrosion Inhibition by Ethyl Ester of Rubber Seed Oil. The research interest is traceable to the fact that rubber seed oil has recently gained a lot of attention in corrosion inhibition applications (probably due to its well established phytochemical characteristics). The seed oil was esterified after extraction and purification (degumming), in order to enhance its performance ability. Results of Corrosion Inhibition assessment showed that corrosion rate (with time) increased as concentration, temperature and dosage increased. For cases with inhibitors, the weight loss was least (1.8024g) at 10g/L concentration and temperature of 40^oC, but was highest (24.2275g) at 20g/L concentration and temperature of 60^oC; the same trend was found to apply in blank conditions as well. Similarly, the highest weight losses (at all reaction conditions) were witnessed at the highest dosage (70% stroke), within a given time, and vice versa. The R² values for all the cases fall between 0.7868 and 0.9922, indicating strong fitness of the data points. Generally, corrosion rate could be observed to be higher at blank cases than in cases with inhibitors; this shows that the rubber seed oil was able to inhibit mildsteel corrosion within the stipulated experimental conditions. Generally, the results obtained in this study suggest that ethyl ester of rubber seed oil has the capacity to inhibit mildsteel corrosion.

Keywords: Effects, Process Parameters, Corrosion Inhibition, Mildsteel, Rubber Seed Oil