From Waste to Protection: A Green Industrial Recycling Approach to Generate an Eco-Friendly Corrosion Inhibitor for 304 Stainless Steel in Saline Solutions

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) recycling currently stands as a pivotal avenue toward a sustainable future, offering a renewable source of raw materials. Within this domain, the potential lies in extracting feedstock for PET production and the development of innovative materials. This study focuses on the utilization of alkaline hydrolysis, employing a cationic surfactant as a catalyst, on an industrial scale to repurpose post-consumer PET bottles. The objective is to produce a corrosion inhibitor for stainless steel 304. The results demonstrate the successful development of a corrosion inhibitor material using recycled PET, showcasing its potential in sustainable material applications. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization reveal that a 2.5% concentration of the developed material in a 3.0% NaCl solution enhances the polarization resistance of the stainless steel by approximately 80%. The polymeric material responds better than benzimidazole, a well-known inhibitor, indicating a promising future application in the corrosion protection of stainless steel 304.