Environmental Effects Of Corrosion

Corrosion is the damage of a metal because of chemical reactions between it and the surrounding environment.”1 The rate of that damage is determined by both the type of metal and the environmental conditions, and most specifically gasses that are in contact with the metal.1

All metals can corrode but the speed of corrosion is different from a metal to another. Pure iron, corrode quickly while stainless steel which has iron and other alloys in its structure is slower to corrode and that’s why used more frequently. While other metals such as copper, silver, platinum and gold never corrode.

Corrosion costs a lot of problems. Because of corrosion, collapses occur in buildings and bridges, oil pipelines break, chemical plants leak, bathrooms flood

• Coating: as corrosion is an oxidation process, coating by using paint or other metallic solutions will prevent the reaction between the air oxidation and the metal and then, no corrosion occurs.

• Environmental measures: Metal and gases in the surrounding environment react and corrosion occurs. Controlling the environment will reduce these unwanted reactions. Such measurements might be as simple as reducing exposure to rain or seawater, or more complicated measures, such as monitoring the amounts of sulfur, chlorine, or oxygen in the surrounding environment.

• Corrosion inhibitors: Corrosion inhibitors are chemical compounds that react with the surface of the metal or the surrounding gases to curb the electrochemical reactions that cause corrosion. Applying the surface of a metal with inhibitors where they form a protective film. Inhibitors can be found as solutions or might be protective coating using dispersion