Why Corrosion Matters
Corrosion of mild steel in acidic environments is an enormous economic problem — in industrial pipelines, oil and gas infrastructure, marine structures, and military equipment. The Nigerian oil industry alone loses billions annually to corrosion-related failures. Traditional chemical inhibitors are often toxic, expensive, and environmentally problematic.
Green chemistry offers an alternative: using plant extracts and biosynthesised nanoparticles as safe, affordable, and effective corrosion inhibitors. This aligns naturally with our broader interest in the chemical utility of Nigerian plants.
The 2025 Study
Our paper, "Efficacies of Corrosion Inhibition Ability of Synthesized CuO Nanoparticles of Jatropha tanjorensis and Prunus domestica Leaves Extracts on Mild Steel in Acidic Medium," was published in the FUDMA Journal of Sciences (Vol. 9, No. 1, 2025, pp. 258–264; DOI: 10.33003/fjs-2025-0901-3178).
We synthesised copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles using leaf extracts of Jatropha tanjorensis (hospital too far) and Prunus domestica (plum). These plant extracts act both as reducing agents and capping agents in the nanoparticle synthesis — a fully green process that avoids toxic chemical reductants.
Methodology at a Glance
- Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles via plant extract reduction
- Characterisation: XRD, FTIR, SEM/TEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy
- Corrosion testing: gravimetric weight-loss method in 1 M HCl
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarisation
- Comparative evaluation at multiple inhibitor concentrations
Results
The biosynthesised CuO nanoparticles demonstrated significant corrosion inhibition efficiency on mild steel in 1 M HCl medium. The inhibition efficiency increased with concentration, consistent with Langmuir adsorption isotherm behaviour — indicating monolayer adsorption of the inhibitor onto the metal surface.
This study is part of a growing body of work showing that Nigerian plants can contribute to solving industrial challenges far beyond traditional medicine.
Collaborators
This work was carried out in collaboration with S. A. Tanko, J. Mathew, J. M. Nwaedozie, U. V. Agbogo, and B. S. Rifore — all of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
