Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaf extract as an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 1M hydrochloric acid solution

Purpose – The purpose of the paper was to investigate the use of aqueous extract of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaf as a green inhibitor for corrosion of carbon steel in 1M hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. Design/methodology/approach – Extracts from the date palm were used as the main component of an environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor for use in HCl pickling processes. Inhibition behavior on carbon steel in HCl was investigated using weight loss measurements, linear and potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Findings – The results show that the extract exhibited good inhibition performance in 1M HCl. The inhibition efficiency increased with increase in the concentration of the inhibitor but decreased with increase in temperature. Inhibition efficiency also was found to increase as immersion time increased. The inhibitive action was due to adsorption of the date palm leaf components on the steel, which was consistent with the Langmuir isotherm. Practical implications – Date palm leaf extract (DPLE) is an effective inhibitor at room temperature and can be used to protect plain carbon steel from corrosion in HCl solution. Originality/value – This study provides new information on the inhibiting characteristics of DPLE under specified conditions. The environmentally friendly inhibitor could find possible applications in metal surface anodizing and acid pickling processes.