COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

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 Corrosion
Occurrence in Major Environments
 Presented by

GROUP 7
Hafiz Annus Mehmood CIIT/SP10-BEC-015/LHR
Mohammad Abubakar CIIT/SP10-BEC-015/LHR
Noaman Ahmed CIIT/SP10-BEC-015/LHR
Saim Khan CIIT/SP10-BEC-015/LHR
 Corrosion
• It is the gradual destruction of a metal due to its reaction with the environment

• The main reaction is oxidation of the metal

• The environment usually contains elements and conditions which cause corrosion

• Most common include

• Presence of oxygen
• Acid content in atmosphere (Acid rain)
• High temperature
 Classification of Environment
in terms of corrosion
• Three main classes exist
• Natural environment
• The atmosphere
• The marine areas
• Organic environment
• Inorganic environment
 Natural Environment
Atmosphere
• The atmosphere can be further classified into three
classes i.e., rural, industrial and marine – but this
classification is impractical

• Variations in
humidity, temperature, rainfall, wind, and pollutants
inhibit this classification
 Natural Environment
Atmosphere
• Degree of corrosion due to atmosphere depends upon
• Type of corrosive agent
• Amount of corrosive agent

• Most common is SO2 gas, produced by industries burning high-

sulfur coal

• In the presence of moisture and oxygen, SO2 forms sulfurous

and sulfuric acids, which are highly corrosive to all metals
except the compatible combination with lead
 Natural Environment
Atmosphere
• Chloride (in air), usually present more in marine
environments, are the second common source of
atmospheric corrosion

• Some solid particles, including dust, tend to be

hygroscopic and hold moisture against the metal
surface
 Natural Environment
Acid Rain
• Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic

• It possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH)

• Acid rain is caused by

• Volcanic Activity
• Lightning
• Combustion of fossil fuels
• Automobile exhaust
• Industrial effluents
 Natural Environment
Acid Rain
• Acid rain usually contains dilute acid

• Long term exposure to acid rain can cause severe

corrosion in metals

• Acid rain also damages biological life

 Organic Environment
Organic Acids
• Effect of formic acid (HCOOH) is considerable

• It is considered the most corrosive carboxylic acid

• It has applications in dyeing, finishing, textiles and

paper industry
 Organic Environment
Organic Acids
• Type 304 stainless steel is used for storing the acid

• Alloy 20 is used for higher temperatures

• Alloy C nickel alloys and titanium are also excellent

storage materials
 Organic Environment
Sewage and Waste Water
• Few metals can withstand chlorides, sulfates, H2S and
bacteria present in municipal sewage

• NH4+ , Cr3+ , and Fe3+ are damaging because their

salts hydrolyze to create acids
 Organic Environment
Sewage and Waste Water
• Austenitic S.S (GRADES: 304, 316, 316L) are able to withstand
chloride concentrations up to 400 ppm in municipal sewage for
oxidation temperatures of 175 to 315 degree Celsius without
pitting or cracking

• At higher chloride contents of about 5000 ppm, titanium

performs very well

• Nonmetallics such as cement, fiber-glass reinforced plastics and

HDPE withstand waste-water better than metals
 Inorganic Environment
Sulfuric Acid
• Sulfuric acid is considered the most important
industrial chemical

• It’s used in making fertilizers, chemicals, paints, in

petroleum refining, and other industries

• The concentrated acid has a concentration of 95-

98%
 Inorganic Environment
Sulfuric Acid
• Steel is most common material for H2SO4 storage and transport
of conc. of 70% or higher but near room temperature

• A film of FeSO4 forms to protect the steel

• But as the temperature increases, the film begins to dissolve

• Chemical lead (containing 0.01% Ag) corrodes at less than 0.1

mm/y at 100 degrees Celsius for all H2SO4 concentrations up to
70%
 Inorganic Environment
Alkalies
• Alakli refers to hydroxides and carbonates of alkali
metals (Li, Na, K etc.) and the NH4+ ion

• An alkali is any strong base that produces OH- ions

in water

• KOH, NaOH, NH4OH are susceptible to cause

corrosion at industrial level
 Inorganic Environment
Alkalies
• Nickel alloys are compatible with caustic solutions
and are used in caustic production plants

• Nickel, however, is unsuitable to NH4OH even in

conc. as low as 1%

• S.S handles NH4OH solutions readily

 Inorganic Environment
Alkalies
• Iron and carbon steels can handle caustic up to about
70% at 80 degrees Celsius

• Magnesium is suitable for any conc. of alkali at room

temperature
Compatible Metal-Enivronment Combinations