How can the galvanisation sector reduce its environmental impacts?

Thus, one important challenge of the galvanisation sector, is to reduce its environmental impacts linked to the intensive use of energy and resources. 1.2. The hot-dip galvanising process and life cycle assessment In the literature, the environmental assessment of steel production has been studied using tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA).

Does hot-dip galvanising protect steel structures from corrosion?

The durability of protection depends on the zinc layer thickness and the environmental exposure conditions (Kovalev et al., 2019). The hot-dip galvanising (HDG) method is one common and effective solution to protect steel structures from corrosion.

What is a hot-dip galvanisation process?

System description of the hot-dip galvanisation process in scenarios 1 and 2. Within the HDG process the main stages were degreasing, pickling, fluxing, drying, immersion in the molten zinc bath and centrifugation (Ortiz et al., 2004). The main raw materials inputs are primary zinc and hydrochloric acid.

What is hot-dip galvanising (HDG)?

The hot-dip galvanising (HDG) method is one common and effective solution to protect steel structures from corrosion. The negative aspects of the galvanising industry include the intensive use of energy and primary zinc (Urtiaga et al., 2010).

Are galvanisation processes environmentally sustainable?

However, few studies have investigated the environmental performance of HDG processes. This factor indicates the need to evaluate the galvanisation process by means of environmental tools to provide insights into the environmental sustainability of HDG.

What are the negative aspects of the galvanising industry?

The negative aspects of the galvanising industry include the intensive use of energy and primary zinc (Urtiaga et al., 2010). Fig. 1 shows that crude steel production is clearly linked to zinc production, the latter accounting for one-hundredth of steel production.