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Opuntia-Ficus-Indica (Nopal) mucilage as a steel corrosion inhibitor in alkaline media

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Abstract

This paper presents results on the corrosion performance of reinforcing steel in alkaline media when dehydrated Opuntia Ficus Indica (Nopal) was used as an admixture. The dehydrated Nopal material was mixed with saturated calcium hydroxide (SCH) at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% by weight. Half cell potentials and Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) measurements were performed at different time periods to characterize the corrosion inhibiting effect of the admixture. Results showed good corrosion inhibiting effect of dehydrated Nopal on reinforcing steel. The polarization resistance (R P) value increased from an average of 40 kΩ cm2 for regular chloride-contaminated SCH solution, to an average of 150 kΩ cm2 for Nopal-added chloride-contaminated SCH solutions. The addition of Nopal led to the formation of a denser and more packed oxide/hydroxide surface layer on the steel surface that decreased corrosion activity. This oxide/hydroxide layer growth was confirmed from microscopic evaluation of the metal surface layer performed at the end of the experiment.

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Acknowledgements

The author is indebted to Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnoilogía (CONACYT) through project CIAM 2002 U42362-K “Facilitating Collaborative Research in the Americas: The Materials Science of Portland Cement-Based Materials” for partial financial support of the work. The author acknowledges Dr. Rajan Sen and Dr. Alberto A. Sagüés, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, for valuable technical and editorial comments. Help from Raquel López-Celis during cell fabrication and measurement recording is also appreciated.

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Correspondence to Andrés A. Torres-Acosta.

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Torres-Acosta, A.A. Opuntia-Ficus-Indica (Nopal) mucilage as a steel corrosion inhibitor in alkaline media. J Appl Electrochem 37, 835–841 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-007-9319-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-007-9319-z

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