Combination of Orange (Citrus sinensis), Calamansi (Citrus microcarpa), and Lemon (Citrus

limon) Peels as Natural Rust Remover for Metal

Amido, Klint Angelo R.

Catu, Jan Verdant L.
Camaligan, Kiara Cathleen J.
Desembrana, Samantha Vienn A.
Miñoza, Joanna Eunice M.
Vilog, Cassandra Clair R.
Group 7, 7-Galileo

June 9, 2023

A scientific paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Research I under Ms.
Kristine Cara Ylarde, 4th Quarter, 2022-2023
 ABSTRACT

A Commercially-Available rust remover was made to reduce the occurrence of rust. Although,
it contains harsh chemicals that can have a massive impact on the environment. The study's primary
objective was to determine the effectiveness of a Homemade Rust remover from the combination of
lemon (Citrus limon), orange (Citrus sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) as peel extract. The
investigation intends to determine if the combination of lemon (Citrus limon), orange (Citrus sinensis),
and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) peel extract will not reduce the rust on metal. 6 rusted metal
padlocks were divided into 2 groups, with three trials in this experiment. One group received the
Homemade rust remover, while the other received the Commercially-Available rust remover, as both
were tested. The remover of rust was measured by weight loss. The results showed that Padlock A
which received the Homemade rust remover lost the most weight, with 1.42 grams of weight loss. The
average weight loss for the group that received the Homemade rust remover was 0.85 grams, while the
group that received the Commercially-Available rust remover had an average weight loss of 0.7 grams.
These findings have demonstrated that the Homemade rust remover made of lemon (Citrus limon),
orange (Citrus sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) peel extract is an effective alternative to
the Commercially-Available rust remover.

INTRODUCTION

The rusting of metal is a common phenomenon faced by many industries and households. The

existence of rust on metal surfaces not only affects the look of the metal but also affects the durability

and strength of the metal (Mkawe, 2023). Rust can affect steel in various ways; it can reduce the

performance and structure of steel. It can also affect the appearance of the metal and might not make it

look appealing. As a solution, rust removers were developed to remove existing rust. However, these

commercially-available rust removers usually contain chemicals, such as Chelating agents,

Hydrocarbons, Hydrochloric acid, etc. that can harm humans and the environment. For instance,

phosphoric acid can harm aquatic life in low alkalinity. Hydrocarbons can also damage the

environment through its combustion; it releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses

that contribute to pollution. On one hand, nitrites can be toxic to living creatures due to the impact of

decreasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. These chemicals are just some harmful chemicals

found in commercially-available rust removers. Hence, there is a need to create an alternative to these
rust removers without containing harsh chemicals to have a safer and more environmentally friendly

surrounding.

Citrus are a group of fruits that are known for their sweet and sour taste. Some examples

include lemons, calamansi, and oranges. These are often high in citric acid which is used to remove

rust. Lemon (Citrus limon) is a citrus fruit that has a sour taste and is rich in vitamin C. Meanwhile,

orange (Citrus sinensis) is a round citrus fruit that usually has a sweet juicy taste. Lastly, calamansi

(Citrus microcarpa) is a small citrus fruit that has a similar taste to a lemon. All of these fruits contain

the compound citric acid which can potentially reduce rust—specifically, in the citrus’ peels. This

compound acts as a natural antioxidant and can help reduce the rusting of metals. Hence, this study

will use the peels of the three mentioned fruits above to reduce rust in padlocks.

The objectives of this study are the following: (1) To create a rust remover that is cheap,

environmentally friendly, and easily accessible and (2) to determine the effectiveness of the

combination of lemon (Citrus Limon), orange (Citrus sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa)

peel extract as a rust remover. For the hypothesis, the investigation intends to determine if the

combination of lemon (Citrus Limon), orange (Citrus sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa)

peel extract will not reduce the rust on the metal when it is applied to the rusted metal.

This study used a quantitative approach wherein numerical data were collected to determine

whether the extract is effective or not (Bhandari, 2022). Replicates were also used to verify the

outcomes. Moreover, the results of this study can be helpful in reducing rust in metal materials. It can

also help in lessening the peel wastes of lemons, oranges, and calamansi. Furthermore, this study can

contribute to scientific knowledge and future student-researchers aiming in the same field.
 This experiment was conducted at San Lorenzo, Santa Rosa, and Santa Rosa Science and

Technology High School on May 12.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In evaluating the effectiveness of an extract made from the combination of lemon (Citrus

Limon), orange (Citrus Sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) peels to have rust removed from

metal surfaces, an experiment was conducted. The method started by having the peels of the three

citrus fruits blended with diminutive doses of juice from each fruit separately. 5mL of each citrus

extract was collected—having 15mL as the amount of the absolute extract. Two metal padlocks were

used as the standard test specimens in three trials, having 6 padlocks in total. Each was weighed using

a digital scale and drenched in the same amount of water for three days to allow rust formation. The

padlocks were weighed once more to record the weight of the padlocks after the rust formation. The

extract was applied to the padlocks directly and scrubbed to padlocks A, B, and C which served as the

experimental group. Meanwhile, a commercially-available rust remover, which was called Brand X, as

the brand of the product was not identifiable, was applied to padlocks D, E, and F which served as the

control group. The extract was used on each padlock and was scrubbed with a toothbrush for one

minute and thirty seconds.

The padlocks were monitored for the removal of rust. After monitoring, the padlocks were

weighed again, and the weight of all padlocks with both the rust removers applied was subtracted from

their weight initially with rust. The weight reduction in the padlocks denotes the effectiveness of the

rust remover.
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This study seeks to find a better alternative to a commercially-available extract. To

determine the effectiveness of the peel extract, six padlocks were divided into two groups of three. One

group received the peel extract, which are Padlock A, Padlock B, and Padlock C. The other group

received the commercially-available extract, which is Padlock D, Padlock E, and Padlock F. Data are

shown in Table 1 and Table 2, respectively

Table 1. Weight of the Padlocks with the Peel Extract added

Without Rust With Rust After Total Weight

Padlock
(g) (g) Application (g) Loss (g)

Padlock A 31.46 32.94 31.52 1.42

Padlock B 32.60 32.60 31.54 1.06

Padlock C 31.18 31.52 31.46 0.06

Table 2. Weight of the Padlocks with the Commercially-Available Rust Remover added

With Rust After Application Total Weight Loss

Padlock Without Rust (g)
(g) (g) (g)

Padlock D 32.03 32.89 31.52 1.37

Padlock E 31.46 32.04 31.54 0.5

Padlock F 31.75 31.75 31.52 0.23

Table 1 and Table 2 show the weight of the padlocks throughout the experiment. In these tables,

the weight of the two groups of padlocks was compared. Table 1 includes the weight of the padlocks

with the peel extract added, while Table 2 shows the weight of the padlocks with the

commercially-available rust remover added. Both have the independent variable on the left post
column, which is the padlock. The dependent variable resides on the right post column, which is the

weight of the padlocks. Referring to Table 1 and Table 2, Padlock A lost 1.42g, Padlock B with 1.06g,

Padlock C with 0.06g, Padlock D with 1.37g, and Padlock F with 0.23g, and Padlock E with 0.5g.

The mean, median, and mode were calculated for the weight values of the padlocks in each

group. The mean weight of the padlocks that received the homemade rust remover is 0.85g, while the

mean weight of the padlocks that received the commercially-available rust remover was 0.7g. The

median weight for the padlocks that received the homemade rust remover was 1.06g, while the median

for the padlocks that received the commercially prepared rust remover was 0.23g. The mode does not

apply to the two groups since all the values have the same occurrence. This data can be seen in Figure

1 below.

Figure 1: Mean, Median, And Mode of the Peel Extract and Commercially Available
 Looking at Figure 1, it is evident that there is a difference in the amount of weight loss in the

results of the Homemade and Commercially-available rust remover.

The initial objective of this study is to test a better and reusable alternative for rust removers.

To acquire adequate data, the weight loss of the padlocks was measured as rust contributes to the initial

weight of an object. The goal is to reduce the weight of the rusted metal as it is the indicator of the rust

being removed. The average weight loss of both groups was then determined.

The data shown in Table 1 and Table 2 imply the difference between the weight loss of both

groups; the average weight loss of the group with peel extract applied is higher than was the other

group. Using the extract from citruses can reduce the weight of the rusted material. (Gil et al, 2013),

Referring to Figure 1, it is also observed that the Homemade rust remover exhibited higher

weight loss compared with the Commercially-available rust removers. This is because the Homemade

rust remover contains a high concentration of citric acid. Furthermore, these different fruits contain

specific properties that help remove rust; some are malic acid, ascorbic acid, tartaric acid, and

D-Limonene. All of these properties can be found in the citruses used and play a vital role in rust

removal. The Science behind this may be due to the chelation process, when citric acid and the other

properties in the citrus is applied to rust, it reacts with the iron oxide present in the rust, breaking it

down and dissolving it. This chemical reaction is known as chelation, where citric acid forms a

chemical bond with the metal ions in the rust, preventing them from re-depositing on the surface. (The

Tool Yard, 2023) .

The results indicate that the Homemade rust remover works better than the

Commercially-available rust remover, as the former rust remover removed more rust than the latter.
 Furthermore, since the data based on the results indicate the apparent removal of rust due to the

Homemade rust remover, the null hypothesis is rejected. This implies that there is a significant

difference between the weight loss of the padlocks with the Homemade rust remover applied and the

weight loss of the padlocks with the Commercially-available rust remover applied. This shows that the

Homemade rust remover is more effective than the commercially-available rust remover since most of

the rusted padlocks that were used with the Homemade rust remover lost the most weight compared to

the Commercially-available rust remover.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The effectiveness of using an extract made from the peels of Orange (Citrus sinensis), Calamansi

(Citrus microcarpa), and Lemon (Citrus limon) as a natural rust remover for metal surfaces was

determined. The study involved an experiment where six padlocks were grouped into two groups, one

group will receive the Homemade rust remover and the other will receive the Commercially-available

rust remover. The experiment results showed that the Homemade rust remover lost the most weight,

with an average of 1.06g, while the Commercially-available rust remover lost an average of 0.7g.

Based on this data, The homemade rust remover loses more weight than the Commercially-available

rust remover.

Furthermore, the results of the study provided insight into the possibility of using an alternative source

of rust remover. This study promotes the idea that there can be other alternatives for a rust remover

that contains harmful chemicals given the materials needed, as it only uses peels and a portion of the

fruit extract, it can be a way to use the leftover peels, instead of throwing it away.
 The results of this study suggest that the peel extracts of lemon, calamansi, and orange can be

used as effective rust removers. Additionally, extracts are cheap, environmentally friendly, and readily

available. Therefore, these extracts could be utilized by industries and for household purposes to

remove rust from metal surfaces.

In conclusion, this study shows evidence that the combination of Lemon (Citrus limon), orange

(Citrus sinensis), and calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) peel extract poses the potential of serving as an

alternative and effective rust remover; given that there is a significant difference than that of the

commercially-available one.

LITERATURE CITED

Bhandari, P. (2022). What Is Quantitative Research? | Definition, Uses & Methods. Scribbr.

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/quantitative-research/

Jiang-Xue, L., Jiali, J., Shi-Ming, Z., Xiao-Feng, D., & Xu-Jie, D. (2019). Study on production

of organic acid rust remover from passion fruit fermented by Aspergillus Niger. IOP Conference

Series. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/369/1/012007

Sarinas B. G., Gellada L., Somosa R., Paragon T., Alonsabe M., Balitucha P., Molleda J.,

Tumadiang D., & Verano, J. (2013). Eco-friendly Alternative Solutions for Rust Removal. Time

Journals of Biological Sciences and Technology, 1(3), (17–20).

https://research.jblfmu.edu.ph/repo/file_repository/ExternalPublication/pdf_International/Arevalo/Ecof

riendly%20Alternative%20Solutions%20for%20Rust%20Removal.pdf
 Citric Acid: The Secret Weapon for Rust Removal and Home Cleaning. (2023) (n.d.).

The Tool Yard. https://www.thetoolyard.com/2023/02/citric-acid-rust-removal.html

Mkawe. 2023. The Effects of Rust on Materials: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention in

Material, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369650152_The_Effects_of_Rust_on_Materials,

Accessed May 27, 2023

Jiang-Xue, L., Jiali, J., Shi-Ming, Z., Xiao-Feng, D., & Xu-Jie, D. (2019). Study on production

of organic acid rust remover from passion fruit fermented by Aspergillus Niger. IOP Conference

Series. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/369/1/012007
 APPENDIX

1. Padlocks before Rust formatted

2. Rusting of metal/ Rust Formation

3. Padlocks before applying both rust removers

4. Making of the Peel Extract Rust Remover

5. Homemade Rust Remover

6. Day of experimentation: Applying both rust removers

7. Padlocks after applying both Rust Removers