The Use Lignosulfonate From Empty Fruit Bunch As Corrosion Inhibitor
Authors: Ismail Issham , Che Yunus Mohd. Azizi , Ismail Ahmad Shamsulizwan , Ibrahim Amir Akmal 
Published: January 2013

Kakisan ialah proses semula jadi yang boleh menjejaskan prestasi kemudahan minyak dan gas. Keadaan ini boleh menyebabkan berlakunya pencemaran terutama semasa pengeluaran, penghantaran, proses penstoran, pengaliran melalui talian paip dan aktiviti lain di pelantar luar pesisir luar. Artikel ini mengetengahkan keberkesanan lignosulfonat yang diekstrak daripada tandan buah jarak (EFB) sebagai agen perencat kakisan. Tandan buah jarak digunakan dalam kajian ini kerana tandan terbabit mengandungi sekitar 25% lignin. Lignin diekstrak daripada tandan menggunakan kaedah Klason Lignin dengan ketulenannya dinilai menerusi ujian Spektroskopi Lampau Merah Jelmaan Fourier (FT–IR). Lignin yang dihasilkan kemudiannya menjalani proses sulfit bagi mengubah sifat–sifatnya kepada lignosulfonat. Kajian pembandingan dilakukan di makmal yang melibatkan penggunaan perencat kakisan komersial dan lignosulfonat EFB dan tanpa perencat kakisan terbabit, menggunakan keluli karbon dalam larutan air garam bagi menentukan kepekatan optimumnya. Agen perencat kakisan komersial yang digunakan ialah Sodium Benzotriazole (BTA–S). Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa lignosulfonat EFB boleh memberikan prestasi yang lebih baik berbanding BTA–S. Kepekatan optimum lignosulfonat EFB ialah 20% dengan kecekapan perencatannya ialah 72%. Penemuan ini membuktikan bahawa lignosulfonat EFB berpotensi menjadi agen perencat kakisan yang baik.

Kata kunci: Kakisan; tandan buah jarak; kecekapan perencatan; Jatropha Curcas; kaedah klason lignin; proses sulfit

Corrosion is a natural process that can affect the performance of facilities in oil and gas industry. This gives a serious view of pollution to the ocean especially during production, transportation, storage process, transmission pipelines and other activities on offshore platforms. This paper discusses the effectiveness of lignin extracted from Jatropha Curcas’ empty fruit bunch (EFB) as a corrosion inhibitor agent. Jatropha Curcas empty fruit bunch was used in this study as it is a good source of lignin where it contains 25% of lignin. Lignin had been extracted from the Jatropha Curcas empty fruit bunches using Klason Lignin method and the purity of treated lignin was verified using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT–IR). Extracted lignin then went under sulphite processes to change its characteristic into lignosulfonate. A performance comparison work was carried out in the laboratory with and without commercial inhibitor and lignosulfonate EFB using carbon steel in brine solution to determine its optimum concentration. The commercial inhibitor used was Sodium Benzotriazole (BTA–S). Experimental results revealed that lignosulfonate EFB could give a better performance as corrosion inhibitor compared to BTA–S. The optimum concentration for lignosulfonate EFB was 20% with inhibitor efficiency was 70%. These findings show that EFB lignosulfonate has the potential to be a good corrosion inhibitor.

Key words: Corrosion; empty fruit bunch; inhibitor efficiency; Jatropha Curcas; klason lignin method; sulphite process