Cymbopogon citratus and NaNO2 Behaviours in 3.5% NaCl-Immersed Steel-Reinforced Concrete: Implications for Eco-Friendly Corrosion Inhibitor Applications for Steel in Concrete

This paper studies behaviours of Cymbopogon citratus leaf-extract and NaNO2, used as equal-mass admixture models, in 3.5% NaCl-immersed steel-reinforced concrete by nondestructive electrochemical methods and by compressive-strength improvement/reduction effects. Corrosion-rate, corrosion-current, and corrosion-potential constitute electrochemical test-techniques while compressive-strength effect investigations followed ASTM C29 and ASTM C33, in experiments using positive-controls for the electrochemical and compressive-strength studies. Analyses of the different electrochemical test-results mostly portrayed agreements on reinforcing-steel anticorrosion effects by the concentrations of natural plant and of chemical admixtures in the saline/marine simulating-environment and in the distilled H2O (electrochemical positive control) of steel-reinforced concrete immersions. These indicated that little amount (0.0833% cement for concrete-mixing) of Cymbopogon citratus leaf-extract was required for optimal inhibition efficiency, η = 99.35%, on reinforcing-steel corrosion, in the study. Results of compressive-strength change factor also indicated that the 0.0833% Cymbopogon citratus concentration outperformed NaNO2 admixture concentrations also in compressive-strength improvement effects on the NaCl-immersed steel-reinforced concrete. These established implications, from the study, on the suitability of the eco-friendly Cymbopogon citratus leaf-extract for replacing the also highly effective NaNO2 inhibitor of steel-in-concrete corrosion in concrete designed for the saline/marine service-environment.