Corrosion Kinetics of Mild Steel Coated with Titanium-Based Anti-corrosion Polyethylene Wax from Waste LDPE Water Sachets in Brine and Acidic Media

Abstract

Corrosion of carbon steel remains a major global challenge across multiple industrial sectors, necessitating efficient and sustainable mitigation strategies. This study presents a novel titanium-based anticorrosion polyethylene wax (TAC-PEW) coating synthesized from discarded low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sachets sourced from sachet water industries. LDPE was pyrolyzed under optimal conditions of 450 °C for 35 min, yielding 60.77 % wax, which was subsequently blended with titanium and other additives to produce TAC-PEW. In acidic media, TAC-PEW provided substantial protection for mild steel with highest inhibition efficiency of 85.7 %. Kinetic analysis showed that the data fitted an exponential decay model with an exceptional correlation coefficient (R² = 0.9999) and a decay constant of 0.2529 hr⁻¹, indicating rapid suppression of the initial corrosion rate.TAC-PEW demonstrates dual environmental and industrial benefits by repurposing non-biodegradable plastic waste into a high-performance, sustainable coating for corrosion control in aggressive environments