Evaluation of the anticorrosion performance of malt bagasse as corrosion inhibitor for AISI 1020 carbon steel in acidic solution

The malt bagasse is a solid residue, highly produced in the brewing industry. The presence of high levels of antioxidants in its composition makes this residue an attractive possibility as a corrosion inhibitor, besides being a sustainable and low cost alternative to the inorganic procedures currently used to prevent corrosion. In this sense, this work evaluated the efficiency of the malt bagasse powder as a corrosion inhibitor on the surface of AISI 1020 carbon steel, in different concentrations, in acidic medium 0.5 mol.L-1 HCl. The resistance to corrosion was tested by electrochemical techniques, such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic and cathodic polarization curves. The efficiency of the corrosion inhibitor was evaluated by weight loss tests. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and optical microscope surface image analysis were respectively used as chemical and morphological characterization techniques, respectively. From the EIS results, it can be said that the powder has its efficiency increased once the concentration is higher. On the other hand, the polarization curves shows the malt bagasse powder as an inhibitor presents both anodic and cathodic behavior. The weight loss results confirmed the electrochemical results, showing 92.5% efficiency for the 1.77 g.L-1 concentration. The adsorption isotherm on the steel surface follows Languimir’s Isotherm. The FTIR analysis indicates the presence of heteroatoms such as C, N, O, incorporated in functional groups that could be responsible for the inhibitory properties found in the powder. The images obtained from the optical microscope, showed that the corrosion process, in the presence of the inhibitor in the electrolyte, is retarded. Therefore, the results indicate that the malt bagasse powder has the potential to be a corrosion inhibitor for steel in acidic medium, adding value in the beer production chain.