A Comparative Analysis on the Effectiveness of star fruit ( Averrhoa Carrambola ) extract and table salt (

sodium chloride ) as rust remover Against commercially available rust remover

Researcher

Angel Mae C. Aninon

Grade 6-BCSSES

Abstract

This study aims to compare the effect of removing rust from a metal with commercial rust remover,
table salt ( Sodium Chloride ) and star fruit ( Averrhoa Carrambola), to study which is more effective in
removing rust from a rusty metal, and lastly to educate and teach people that they could make their
own rust remover without costing much money. Only effort and patience are needed in making this
carrambola rust remover.

Carambola, salt and rust remover are the three things that are going to be used in removing rust,

Acknowledgement

To my parents who supported me not just financially but morally and spiritually. To my SIP Coach and
Grade 6 adviser, Mrs. De Villa, for helping I finish this project. To my sister who motivates me to finish
this project. To my brother who help me to complete this task.

And most especially to God almighty Father for giving me strength, hope and for sending this people
who helped me throughout this project.
 Table of Contents

Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………… 1

Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….…. 2

Acknowledgment ……………………………………………………………………………3

Table of contents ……………………………...………………………………………….....4

Introduction

Background of the study …………………………………………………………..……….5

Statement of the problem ………………………………………………………………....6

Significance of the study …………………………………………………………….…….7

Scope and limitations …………………………………………………………..……..…..7

Review of related literature …………………………………………………………….…7

Methodology ……………………………………………………………………………….10

Results and discussions ……………………………………………………..……………...

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………13

Recommendation ………………………………………………………………………….13

Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………….…14-18

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………19

Introduction

A) Background of study

Carambolas are healthy fruits that can be eaten directly. It also contains acid.

But do carambola fruit or as we call star fruit can be a rust remover?

People nowadays are having a hard time in removing rust from metals. Rust is a problem for
metals surfaces. It wins the appearance of that certain thing and detracts from durability.

Unless you want your belongings to have an “antique” appearance, then rust is an annoyance
we can all live without. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that most of our metal objects including tools,
kitchen utensils and decorative garden objects will fall of this common problem overtime, costing us
money and causing us irritation.

The commercial rust remover produces chemicals that are dangerous to the health of people living in
the community. Making own household cleaners saves money and ensures the ingredients are natural
and is good for the environment in terms of its quality, and less harmful due to the components of the
commercial rust remover that is not present in the organic rust remover.
The researcher will conduct this study due to economic crisis nowadays and to create a product which is
health and environmental friendly and is cheaper but could give the same quality with the commercial
one through the use of carambola fruit with the combination of salt.

This study educates and teaches people that they could also make their own rust remover for their rusty
belongings without costing much money.

To this extent, the researcher assumed that the oxalic acid component of carambola fruit with the help
of salt can be a source of and utilized to produce an alternative rust remover.

Statement of the problem

This study aims to produce a rust remover made out of carambola fruit. Furthermore, this study seeks to
answer the following questions:

a) Will carambola fruit be effective in removing rust?

b) What is the amount of carambola fruit extract that will work best in removing rust?

c) Will there be a significant difference between the commercial and the formulated rust remover?

d) What set up will work the best?

Significance of the Study

This study will benefit the people since the materials needed in this study are common and easy
to find, the people will be spending less money. There will be no harmful chemicals to be used in making
the rust remover so it is non-toxic and safe to use.

Scope and Limitations

This study only focuses on the comparison between carambola ( Averrhoa Carrambola ), salt (
Sodium Chloride ) and WD-40 rust remover. This study applies only on metals and may also be difficult
to remove the stain from any type of cloth. It only concentrates in making a rust remover made out of
carambola fruit extract and melted salt.
Review of related literature

Rust is an iron oxide, usually red oxide formed by the redox reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence
of water or air moisture. Several forms of rust are distinguishable both visually and by spectroscopy, and
form under different circumstances. Rust is another name for iron oxide, which occurs when iron or an
alloy that contains iron, like steel, is exposed to oxygen and moisture for a long period of time.

Rust remover are chemical solutions or primers that can be applied directly to an iron or iron
alloy surface to convert iron oxides (rust) into a protective chemical barrier. These compounds interact
with iron oxides, especially iron(III) oxide, converting them into an adherent black layer that is more
resistant to moisture and protects the surface from further corrosion.

Star fruit, also known as carambola, is a star shaped tropical fruit with sweet and sour flavor which
contains oxalic acid that is effective in removing rust. Carambola is native to Malayan peninsula and
cultivated in many parts of Southeast Asia, Pacific islands and China for its fruits. Although abundant and
plentiful, carambola is yet to gain popularity, especially in the western world.

According to John Welfar from the USDA National Nutrient data base Carambola fruit features
light-green to yellow with attractive smooth waxy surface and weighs about 70-130g. Inside, its crispy,
juicy pulp can either be mildly sweet or extremely sour depending upon the cultivar type and amount of
oxalic acid concentration.3

Oxalic acid is a material that is shipped in a dry sugarlike condition. It activates upon being dissolved in
warm water and is used to remove that brownish/reddish/blackish rust/oxide that appears as a stain on
many surfaces.

Oxalic acid is superior to other acids for rust removal because it forms complexes with iron ions much
better. The oxalic acid can pull the oxidized iron out of the rust and into solution where it can be washed
away. Anyone who has seen a pale green color in the oxalic acid bath after soaking parts for a while has
seen the iron-oxalate complex in solution. Other chemicals will do this, including acetic and citric acids,
but because of its structure oxalic acid is the optimal choice.

Salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast
quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent. Salt s also effective in removing rust it
composed of sodium chloride which increases the acidity and let chew rust even faster.

From the Rust Removal Experiments Mahmoud Kamal Ahmadi and Blaine A. Pfeifer* Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo,
Buffalo, USA *For correspondence: blainepf@buffalo.edu, It is stated here that the Iron oxidation,
known as rust formation, causes enormous loss in term of property damages and associated economic
risks. Depending on the degree of formation, rust consists of several layers of iron in different oxidation
states. The brownish top layer is mostly iron (III) oxide-hydroxide [FeO(OH), Fe(OH)3] while the deepest
black layers possess iron oxide (Fe2O3.nH2O). The flaky nature of surface rust meditates diffusion of
oxygen and water to inner material sections which can lead to total disintegration of iron mass. As a
result, it is desirable to remove rust and protect fresh surface from oxidizers. The common rust
removal reagents are mainly based on complex formation of ferric ion with organic and inorganic acids
such as citric acid, oxalic acid, and phosphoric acid. Rust removal ability is typically a qualitative
observation which makes direct comparison between treatment options cumbersome if not
impractical. In our recent work (Ahmadi et al., 2015), we have developed a colorimetric assay to
measure ferric concentration in rust removal treatment media using a bacterially-produced siderophore
(yersiniabactin) in comparison to a commercial rust removal reagent. In this approach, ferric
concentration is correlated to the mass of rust being dissolved in the presence of different removal
agents. This assay is based on a modification of the 1, 10-phenanthroline assay (Skoog and West, 1979)
to enable detection using a 96-well plate format for higher throughput screening and assessment.

According to Wilson Wagner “Oxalic acid has been identified as the principal acid in the carambola
(Averrhoa carambola L.) and the bilimbi (A. bilimbi L.) . While quantitative levels have been reported for
carambola, oxalic acid has only been reported qualitatively for bilimbi. Vines and Grierson reported
levels of 9.6 mg/g in ripe carambola and 5.0 mg/g in green fruit. These levels represent seventy-four
percent (74%) and forty percent (40%) of total acid respectively in the fruit. Wagner et al. reported
oxalic acid levels in ten selections and cultivars. They ranged from 0.39 mg/g in sweet cultivars to 6.79
mg/g in sour carambola cultivars. Wilson et al. quantified the oxalic acid in carambola using the HPLC
technique. Levels ranging from 0.8 mg/g to 7.3 mg/g were reported.

II. Methodology

The measurements of each formulation will be stated in this table.

MATERIALS

FORMULATION 1

FORMULATION 2

FORMULATION 3

Carambola extract

100 ml

80 ml

120 ml
Melted salt 80 ml 100 ml 60 ml

WD-40 Rust Remover

A) Materials/Equipment

To start the experiment, secure the following, the following materials were utilized in the experiment;

For the Carambola fruit extract, you will need a, carambola fruit, 1 mortar and pestle for crushing the
Carambola fruit, 1 piece of cloth in getting the extract of the fruit, 2 beakers for measuring the extract
and the melted salt. For the melted salt the materials used are salt, a strainer to get the dirt that are
mixed in the salt and stirring rod to stir the melted salt and the carambola extract, a container to pour
the formulated rust remover, 3 small identical plates where you can put the metal and pour the
formulated rust remover, carambola extract, melted salt and commercial rust remover, a rust remover
and three different kinds of rusty metals ( bolt, nail and screw ).

B) Procedure

To get the carambola fruit extract, prepare the fruit by cutting it into two pieces and then crush the fruit
using mortar and pestle to get the extract. After that, the crushed carambola fruit was wrapped into a
clean piece of cloth and then gently squeeze to get the extract. The researcher placed the extracted fruit
inside a clean beaker to get the measurement of the extract.

For the melting of salt, put the salt inside a container and then heat it up for 15 seconds, after
that pour the melted salt to the strainer with another container below to remove the dirt, and then pour
it to a beaker to get the measurement of the melted salt.

To get the formulated rust remover mixture, get 1 clean container and place the melted salt and the
extracted Carambola fruit. After that, heat the mixture for 4 minutes. When the mixture starts to boil
use a stirring rod and gently stir it. Get another container and cool it off for 1 hour until it is ready to use.

To apply the melted salt, place the rusted metal on a small plate and pour the melted salt. Wait for 2
minutes and afterwards gently rub the metal and observe until the rust will remove.
To apply the extract, place the rusted metal on a small plate and pour the carambola extract. Wait for 2
minutes and afterwards gently rub the metal and observe until the rust will remove.

To apply the formulated rust remover, place the rusted metal on a small plate and pour the
formulated rust remover. Wait for 5 minutes and afterwards gently rub the metal and observe until the
rust will remove.

To apply the WD-40 rust remover, shake the can well. Place the rusted metal on a small plate and
saturate area to be treated and allow to soak. For best protection, do not wipe off.

II. Results and discussion

A) Findings

The Results of the Time taken will be tallied and will be computed to get the mean interpretation in
every quality.

MELTED SALT

MEASUREMENT TRIAL 1

(min)(sec) TRIAL 2
(min)(sec) TRIAL 3

(min)(sec)

MEAN STANDARD

DEVIATION MEAN

INTERPRETATION

MEASUREMENT

7:39

7:42

7:45

7.42

0.03 Disagree that the amount of melted salt is a good quality as rust remover.

MEASUREMENT

6:45

6:39

6:48

6.44

0.046 Agree that the amount of melted salt is a good quality as rust remover.

MEASUREMENT

9:53

9:58

9:48
9.53

0.05 Disagree that the amount of melted salt is a good quality as rust remover.

MEAN INTERPRETATION:

1.70-3.50 - Strongly agree that the mixture of melted salt is a good quality rust remover.

3.60-5.70 - Agree that the mixture of melted salt is a good quality rust remover.

5.80-8.60 - Disagree that the mixture of melted salt is a good quality rust remover.

CARAMBOLA EXTRACT

MEASUREMENT TRIAL 3

(min)(sec) TRIAL 2 (min)(sec) TRAIL 3

(min)(sec)

MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION MEAN

INTERPRETATION

MEASUREMENT 1

5:12

5:07

4:58

4.92

0.29 Agree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

MEASUREMENT 2

6:49
 6:53

6:46

6.49

0.035 Disagree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality

MEASUREMENT 3

4:35

4:28

4:31

4.31

0.035 Agree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

MEAN INTERPRETATION:

1.70-3.50 - Strongly agree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

3.60-5.70 - Agree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

5.80-8.60 - Disagree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover

FORMULATED RUST REMOVER

FORMULATONS

TRIAL 1

(min)(sec)

TRIAL 2

(min)(sec)

TRIAL 3

(min)(sec)
 MEAN

STANDARD DEVATION

MEAN INTERPRETATION

FORMULATION

5:39

5:49

5:46

5. 44

0.051

Agree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract with melted salt is a good quality rust remover.

FORMULATION

7:40

7:43

7:39

7.41

0.021 Disagree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract with melted salt is a good quality
rust remover.

FORMULATION

3
 3:52

3:49

3:43

3.48

0.045 Strongly agree that the amount of Carambola fruit extract with melted salt is a good
quality rust remover.

MEAN INTERPRETATION:

1.70-3.50 - Strongly agree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

3.60-5.70 - Agree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

5.80-8.60 - Disagree that the mixture of Carambola fruit extract is a good quality rust remover.

WD-40 RUST REMOVER

MEASUREMENT

TRIAL 1

(min)(sec) TRIAL 2

(min)(sec) TRIAL 3

(min)(sec) MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION MEAN INTERPRETATION

MEASUREMENT 1

MEASUREMENT 2

MEASUREMENT 3
The ANOVA Results in 3 formulations

SOURCE Sum of the squares Degrees of freedom Mean sum F-statistic P-value

treatments

23.246

11.623

13076.1375

-0.34

Error

0.005

0.001

Total:

23.252

(Signficance level= 0.05)

 The table shows that there is a significant difference between the commercial rust remover and the
formulated one. The p-value is less than 0.05, the researcher rejected the null hypothesis that there is
no difference between the means and conclude that a significant difference does exist.

B) Analysis of Data

The mean of measurement 2 in the melted salt contains the highest amount of melted salt than
the mean of measurement 1 and 3. This proved that the melted salt (Sodium Chloride) can be a rust
remover.

The mean of measurement 3 in carambola (Averrhoa Carambola) extract contains the highest
amount of carambola extract than the mean of measurement 1 and 2. This proved that the carambola
extract can be a rust remover.

As shown in the table, the mean of formulation 3 which contains the higher amount of extract is
less than the mean of formulation 1 and 2. This proved that the Carambola fruit extract can be an
alternative rust remover with the removal time lessened which is favorable to the study.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

Through the entire test being conducted the mixtures on the third formulation shows the best results.
Adding more amount of Carambola fruit extract is more effective in producing rust remover. The third
formulation shows more efficiency in removing rust on metals.

The rust remover is more effective if the amount of the extract is greater than the melted salt. The
formulated rust remover on the third formulation shows the best result in terms of its effectiveness in
removing rust which results the shortest time taken.

Recommendation

The researcher recommends, having a long period of time on conducting this experiment. The future
researchers should have the adequate materials to be used. It is also important to have patience on
conducting this experiment. The future researchers should add more amount of Carambola fruit extract
rather than adding more amount of melted salt.

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