ASSESSMENT OF THE CORROSION INHIBITION POTENTIALS OF Terminalia ivorensis LEAVES EXTRACT ON STEEL IN ALKALI MEDIUM

The aim of this study is to assess the corrosion inhibition potentials of Terminalis ivorensis leaves extract on steel in alkali medium. Corrosion effect on metals has been a major challenge in the industrial world due to its wear and tear potentials and the financial implication on users. This has necessitated this assessment of corrosion inhibition potentials of the Terminalia ivorensis leaves extracts on steel in the alkali medium using sodium hydroxide solution. This was achieved using the plant extract on both mild and galvanized steel in 3.0 M sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH). The weight loss technique was adopted using 5, 10 and 15 g/l of the plant extract and the NaOH solution (3.0 M). Both Steels were immersed for a time period of 18 days and regularly assessed at every 3 days intervals. The result revealed the loss of weight for galvanized steel but no visible change for the mild steel in the alkali medium by the plant extracts. This showed that the plant extract has good corrosion inhibitive potentials on galvanized steel but not on mild steel. The highest inhibition efficiency of 77.05 was recorded also at the study with the highest concentration (15.0 g/l). This inhibition potential of the Terminalia ivorensis leave extract can be linked to the presence of some notable organic functional groups with some oxidative covering potential in form of coating.