The study of m-pentadecylphenol on the inhibition of mild steel corrosion in 1 M HCl solution

The acidic fluids used in the acidification of oil wells provoke corrosion of metallic materials unenviably. As a consequence, corrosion inhibitors are needed to mitigate or retard the corrosion process. Herein, wereport m-pentadecylphenol as an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor in acidic media developed from cashewnut shell liquid (CNSL), which is a low-cost and sustainable source. The inhibitor was evaluated as corrosioninhibitor for mild in 1 M HCl corrosive solution by potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemicalimpedance spectroscopy (EIS), weight loss, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy,atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX-RF) spectrometry methods. The results showed that the inhibition efficiency of m-pentadecylphenol was at least 95% at an optimalconcentration (300 ppm). The inhibition efficiency was found to increase as the inhibitorconcentration increments from 100 to 300 ppm. Further studies revealed the inhibition performance ofm-pentadecylphenol to be marginally reliant on temperature as the temperature rises from 303 to333 K. At 333 K, the inhibition performance of the inhibitor was still promising (about 85%) when theconcentration was 300 ppm. The adsorption studies revealed the spontaneous aptitude of mpentadecylphenolto inhibit corrosion by forming a non-conductive inhibitive layer on the mild steel surfacemainly through the chemisorption mechanism. The chemisorption adsorption was satisfactorilydescribed by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Besides, the potentiodynamic polarization measurementsrevealed m-pentadecylphenol to act as an anodic inhibitor. The overall findings revealed thatm-pentadecylphenol to be an effective corrosion inhibitor in harsh corrosive vicinities with the addedadvantages of being eco-friendly and relatively cheaper. Thus, it can replace the use of non-green andexpensive corrosion inhibitors in the industry.