Abstract

Reinforced concrete is widely used in marine structures due to its strength and durability; the Rebar embedded in it is, however, very susceptible to corrosion when exposed to aggressive ions, such as chlorides from seawater. This research assessed the effectiveness of using aluminium and zinc sacrificial anodes for corrosion protection of steel in reinforced concrete exposed to marine environments. It involved embedding aluminium and zinc anodes in the concrete specimens and exposing them to a controlled marine environment. The surface profile of the steel was analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The results obtained showed corrosion rates of the steel reinforcement obtained were 1.002 mm/y, 0.562 mm/y, and 0.264 mm/y while the protection efficiencies rendered by the aluminium and the zinc anode were 43.91% and 73.65%, respectively. The SEM of the exposed sample showed both mud-cracks and pitting corrosion on control, aluminium and zinc anodes protected samples. However, most pitting corrosion were found on the control sample and the aluminium anode protected re-bar sample showed higher pitting than zinc anode protected sample. The higher efficiency of the zinc anode was attributed to its ability to maintain a stable protective oxide layer.

Keywords: Re-bar Corrosion Protection; Sacrificial Anodes; Potentiodynamic Polarization; Marine Environment; Industry; Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

References

1. Adetunji OR., et al. “Cathodic Protection of Underground Mild Steel Pipes by Impressed Current using Solar Cells as Rectifier”. Journal of Innovative Solutions in Engineering 2 (2019): 12-21.
2. Adetunji OR., et al. “Potentiodynamic Polarization of Brass, Stainless & Coated Mild Steels in 1 M Sodium Chloride Solution”. International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa 23.1 (2016): 1-6.
3. Bertolini L., et al. “Corrosion of Steel in Concrete Prevention, Diagnosis, Repair”. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim (2004): 392.
4. Cardenas H, Kupwade-Patil K and Eklund S. “Corrosion mitigation in mature .einforced concrete using nanoscale pozzolan deposition”. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 23.6 (2010): 752-760.
5. Farh HMH, Seghier MEA and Zayed T. “A comprehensive review of corrosion protection and control techniques for metallic pipelines”. Engineering Failure Analysis 143.106885 (2023): 106885.
6. Hansson CM. “Macrocell and microcell corrosion of steel in ordinary Portland cement and high performance concretes”. Cement and Concrete Research 36.11 (2006): 2098-2102.
7. Hussain RR and Ishida T. “Influence of connectivity of concrete pores and associated diffusion of oxygen on corrosion of steel under high humidity”. Construction and Building Materials 24.6 (2010): 1014-1019.
8. Karthick SP., et al. “Electrochemical process to improve the durability of concrete structures”. Journal of Building Engineering 7 (2016): 273-280.
9. Koch G. “Cost of corrosion. In Trends in Oil and Gas Corrosion Research and Technologies”. Elsevier (2017): 3-30.
10. Komalasari E, Situmeang IDR and Heltina D. “Cathodic Protection on Structures of Carbon Steel using Sacrificial Anode Method for Corrosion Control”. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (2019): 845.
11. Kupwade-Patil K., et al. “Corrosion mitigation in reinforced concrete beams via nanoparticle treatment”. ACI Materials Journal 109.6 (2012): 617-626.
12. Owoeye FT., et al. “Cathodic Protection of Aluzinc coated, Galvanized and Stainless Steels in Ijegun Seawater using Aluminium as Sacrificial Anode”. United International Journal for Research & Technology 2.2 (2020): 81-92.
13. Prasad NK., et al. “On the Novel Approach of Sacrificial Cathodic Protection of Mild Steel in Simulated Concrete Pore Solution and Concrete Mortar by High Phosphorus Pig Iron Anodes”. Journal of Materials Research and Technology 14 (2021): 582-608.
14. Qu F., et al. “Durability deterioration of concrete under marine environment from material to structure: A critical review”. Journal of Building Engineering 35 (2021): 102074.
15. Qureshi MH., et al. “Development of an Al-Zn-Bi alloy sacrificial anode for the protection of steel in artificial seawater: an electrochemical analysis”. Materials Research Express 11 (2024).
16. Shahedan NF., et al. “Potential of fly ash geopolymer concrete as repairing and retrofitting solutions for marine infrastructure: A review”. Case Studies in Construction Materials 20.e03214 (2024): e03214.
17. Ude OO., et al. “Corrosion Behaviour of Brass, Coated Mild and Stainless Steels in 1 M Sodium Hydroxide Solution Using Polarization Method Umudike”. Journal of Engineering and Technology 4.2 (2018): 41-46.
18. Wang F., et al. “A Comparative Investigation on Cathodic Protections of Three Sacrificial Anodes on Chloride-Contaminated Reinforced Concrete”. Construction and Building Materials 246.20 (2020).

Citation

Olayide R Adetunji., et al. “Corrosion Protection of Reinforced Concrete Steel Using Al and Zn Sacrificial Anodes in Marine Environment". Clareus Scientific Science and Engineering 3.4 (2026): 25-34.

Copyright

© 2026 Olayide R Adetunji., et al. Licensee Clareus Scientific Publications. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.