Abstract:
The growing environmental concerns have led to the formulation of corrosion inhibition
in tropical seawater. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the
corrosion inhibition of zinc in seawater after adding sodium benzoate with different
percentage. The samples were immersed in 100% seawater, 10% sodium benzoate, 20%
sodium benzoate, 30% sodium benzoate, 40% sodium benzoate and 50% sodium
benzoate. The samples were immersed for 30 days and the result were taken every 6
days intervals. The weight loss of the sample was recorded and using the formulae the
result were calculated and graph were plotted. Using the weight loss measurements, the
corrosion rates of zinc in solutions were determined. With the increment of the sodium
benzoate, the weight loss of the zinc sample is decreased. The solution of seawater and
50% sodium benzoate will have the least weight loss and this proved that it will give the
least corrosion rate. This will proved that the sodium benzoate inhibit the zinc from the
corrosion. There for, the corrosion rate will be decreasing with the increasing of time.
The sample morphology had been examined using Metallurgical Microscope to obtain
microscopic image of the corrode sample. The sodium benzoate covered the surface of
the zinc sample and this behavior then showed that the samples were slowing down the
corrosion rate. The use of sodium benzoate is a useful technique for the corrosion
inhibition of the zinc in tropical seawater.