Synergistic Effects of Rosemary and Carrot Extracts as Green Corrosion Inhibitors for Carbon Steel Protection in Acidizing Operations of Petroleum Industry

Corrosion of carbon steel in acidic media remains a critical challenge during acidizing operations. This study evaluates carrot and rosemary extracts—individually and in combination—as green corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in 1 M HCl. Inhibition performance was assessed using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), SEM/EDS, and adsorption isotherms. Weight-loss measurements showed inhibition efficiencies of 59.5% (carrot) and 85.7% (rosemary) at 800 ppm, while their 30/70 mixture achieved a markedly higher efficiency of 99.6%. PDP results confirmed this trend, with corrosion current density decreasing from 892 μA/cm² (blank) to 13.4 μA/cm² for the mixture, corresponding to 98.5% efficiency. In addition, EIS analysis revealed a substantial increase in charge-transfer resistance from 41.1 ohm.cm² (blank) to 174.9 ohm.cm² (carrot), 266.9 ohm.cm² (rosemary), and 1868.1 ohm.cm² for the 30/70 mixture, confirming superior barrier formation. Moreover, temperature-dependent tests showed only a 5% efficiency loss for the mixture and an average 6% decrease for the single extracts between 25–45 °C, indicating good thermal stability. Also, SEM images demonstrated severe surface damage in the blank sample, while carrot-, rosemary-, and mixture-treated surfaces showed progressively smoother morphologies. EDS analysis confirmed this trend, with Fe content increasing from 65.78% (blank) to 90.16% (carrot), 91.88% (rosemary), and 94.59% for the mixture. Furthermore, FTIR and GC–MS identified oxygenated functional groups and major phytochemicals responsible for adsorption. Adsorption data followed the Langmuir model, and Gibbs free energy values from −25 to −31 KJ/mol indicated spontaneous mixed physisorption–chemisorption. Overall, the 30/70 carrot–rosemary mixture consistently achieved the highest corrosion protection across all tests, confirming strong synergistic adsorption and demonstrating its potential as a high-performance, eco-friendly inhibitor for acidic environments.