Inhibition of corrosion of mild steel in simulated oil well water by an extract of environmentally-friendly Moringa oleifera leaves

• B. Latha¹, K. Kavitha¹ and S. Rajendran²

¹ PG and Research Department of Chemistry, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli-620001, Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620024, Tamil Nadu, India
² Department of Chemistry, St. Antony’s College of Arts and Sciences for Women (Affiliated to Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal), Dindigul-624005, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The study investigated the inhibitory effect of the aqueous extract from Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) on the corrosion of mild steel (MS) in a simulated oil well water (SOWW) solution. This was accomplished through weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarization analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Findings from the weight loss method indicated that the corrosion rate diminishes as the concentration of the inhibitor increases. The polarization curves further revealed that MOL functions as an anodic type inhibitor. The efficacy of corrosion inhibition improves as the concentration of the plant extract rises, achieving a notable level of 10% (v/v) of the inhibitor. At this concentration, the efficiency of the inhibitor attains a remarkable 88.83%. This inhibitory effect is primarily attributed to the adsorption of molecules, including carbonic acid, butyl 2-pentyl ester, and 2-isopropoxyethyl propionate, which are found in the extract and have been verified through FTIR spectroscopy on the surface of mild steel (MS). Morphological analysis conducted through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated a more polished surface of mild steel (MS) when the inhibitor was present. The findings demonstrated that MOL extract has the potential to serve as an effective corrosion inhibitor for MS in a simulated oil and water waste (SOWW) environment.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera leaves, corrosion inhibitor, mild steel, simulated oil well water

Int. J. Corros. Scale Inhib., 2025, 14, no. 1, 61-73
doi: 10.17675/2305-6894-2025-14-1-4

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