Corrosion-Induced CaCO₃ Scaling Behavior and Kinetics: Role of Temperature and Corrosion Product

Metal corrosion and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) scaling phenomena often coexist and interact. However, the effects of electrochemical corrosion on CaCO3 scaling remain poorly understood, let alone the scaling kinetics. In this work, the CaCO3 scaling behavior and kinetics on steel surfaces under self-corrosion and cathodic conditions are investigated. On corroded surfaces, the promoting effect of corrosion on CaCO3 scaling first increases and then decreases as the temperature increases. Moreover, the scaling kinetics evolve from a linear law to exponential forms. By cathodic polarization of stainless steel, it is proven that elevated temperature favors calcite deposition and accelerates exponential scaling kinetics. Conversely, the presence of Fe2+ leads to polymorphism and slower linear scaling kinetics. Taken together, corrosion-induced CaCO3 scaling is the combined consequence of anodic and cathodic reactions, and their effects on scaling are contradictory. The results improve the general understanding of the scaling fundamentals from a corrosion perspective.