Ideal corrosion inhibitors: a review of plant extracts as corrosion inhibitors for metal surfaces

Corrosion, a gradual destruction of metals as they react to their environment, is a daunting issue faced by the oil and gas industry since it has negative impacts on both life and industry applications. Attempts to tackle this problem have involved a myriad of techniques among which, corrosion inhibitors have been found to be the most effective. Corrosion inhibitors adsorb onto metallic surfaces and insulate them from deterioration. Plants being green and abundant in nature, offer a cost-effective replacement to toxic, chemical inhibitors on the market. Investigations of several plant extracts using different variables to quantify their effectiveness reveal that most of them exhibit an excellent inhibition potential, usually above 90%. These outstanding results prove their efficiency compared to traditional methods and necessitate further studies so as to enable implementation on large scale.