Environmental Assessment of The Hot-Dip Galvanization Processes

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T.

KARKOSZKA ISSN 0543-5846


METABK 56(1-2) 188-190 (2017)
UDC – UDK 669.5:621.793:389.64:502.72=111

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HOT-DIP


GALVANIZATION PROCESSES
Received – Prispjelo: 2016-04-22
Accepted – Prihvaćeno: 2016-08-30
Preliminary Note – Prethodno priopćenje

Processes of the hot-dip galvanization, refraining from application of dangerous chemical substances together with
the necessity of ensuring the high temperatures, both pose a special threat to the environment. Therefore, the sub-
ject of analysis was environmental impact of the hot-dip galvanization process. Here has been done the identifica-
tion and the assessment of the environmental aspects as well as has been pointed at the key-aspects requiring the
special supervision. The developed assessment methodology can be applied by each of the organization wanting
to master the processes by minimizing their environmental influence.
Key words: zinc, coating, hot-dip galvanization, environmental aspects and impacts

INTRODUCTION pect assessment in the hot-dip galvanization processes


together with the application of the developed method-
The technologies being applied within the metal in- ology.
dustry – regardless the production is of the metallurgi-
cal character or concerns the metal and alloy processing
– posing the threats especially for the environment [1]. METHODOLOGY
One of the most applied and the most economical pro- The developed research methodology enables the
cess, which protects steel against corrosion is hot-dip assessment of environmental influence of processes
galvanization processes [2, 3]. Structure, and at the
with the application of environmental risk assessment
same time features of the zinc layer, mainly depend on
evaluation matrix. It covers the assessment of environ-
the technological parameters of the process, and espe-
mental impact occurrence probability as well as the en-
cially on the following: chemical composition and tem-
vironmental impact significance assessment, and next
perature of the zinc bath, pickling bath and flux [2-5].
estimation of the environmental risk value expressed by
Ensuring these parameters, especially the high tem-
the five-degree-scale.
peratures of the bath with the aggressive chemical com-
As the environmental aspect one has defined: ”ele-
position, is extremely troublesome for the environment
ment of an organization’s actions or products or servic-
[6, 7].
es that can interact with the environment [8]”, on the
Therefore, it is so crucial to define the impact of
these processes on the environment and taking up the other hand, the environmental impact has been defined
actions aiming at minimizing it. as: ”any change to the environment, whether adverse or
Such an assessment should cover the identification
Table 1 Comparison of the guidelines for the estimation
of the environmental aspects and impacts, their assess- of the environmental impact occurrence – O.
ment and defining the meaningful environmental as-
O Criteria of the estimation
pects. Within the range of assessment, the organization
impossible (1) occurrence of the environmental impact improb-
should take into consideration the following ones: pos- able, there have never been any impacts connected
sible damages for the environment, its sensitivity, size, with the similar processes
number, frequency and reversibility of the aspect or im- low (2) occurrence of the environmental impact of little
pact as well as the legal requirements [8]. probability, rare short-time cases of the environ-
mental aspect occurrence linked with the similar
Tools for aspects assessment are not directly de- processes
fined, therefore, the particular organization can develop moderate (3) occurrence of the environmental impact probable,
the assessment methodology as well as define own cri- there have been cases of the environmental impact
teria for environmental aspects assessment [9, 10]. occurrence
Taking into consideration the above stated as the high (4) occurrence of the environmental impact highly
probable, there have been cases of the long-lasting
analytical aim, one has approved the environmental as- and numerous environmental impact occurrence
very high (5) occurrence of the environmental impact almost un-
T. Karkoszka, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University avoidable, the environmental impact occurrence is
of Technology, Gliwice, Poland always present

188 METALURGIJA 56 (2017) 1-2, 188-190


T. KARKOSZKA: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HOT-DIP GALVANIZATION PROCESSES

Table 2 Comparison of the guidelines for the estimation of the environmental aspect and impact significance – S.
S Criteria of the estimation
very low (1) insignificant-area, quality and quantity contamination of environment, almost immediate back to the original balance condi-
tion; environmental aspect constantly controlled, environmental aspect undergoes the steering; lack of the legal regulations
applying in the range of the environmental aspect
low (2) area-insignificant contamination of environment, violation of the environmental balance, reversible in the natural way, within
the short time after the environmental aspect occurrence; environmental aspect constantly controlled, environmental aspect
undergoes the steering; the legal regulation exists and it is always fulfilled
moderate (3) area-significant contamination of environment, violation of the environmental balance, reversible only due to the interference
of human; the control actions brings little or any chance for steering this environmental aspect; the legal regulation exists and
there have been cases of the non-fulfillment of it
high (4) contamination of the environment, amount, quality, area-significant; serious degradation reversible only due to the heavy in-
terference of human; environmental aspect rarely controlled, the control actions of low effectiveness, non-steerable aspect; the
legal regulation exists and there is high probability of exceed
very high (5) area-significant, total degradation of the environment; environmental aspect not undergoing any of the control actions, non-
steerable environmental aspect; the legal regulation exists but it is never fulfilled

Table 3 Matrix of the environmental impact assessment – EI.


Environmental impact prob- Environmental impact significance - S
ability of occurrence - O
very low (1) low (2) moderate (3) high (4) very high (5)
impossible (1) very low (1) very low (2) low (3) moderate (4) moderate (5)
low (2) very low (2) low (4) moderate (6) moderate (8) moderate (10)
moderate (3) low (3) low (6) moderate (9) high (12) high (15)
high (4) moderate (4) moderate (8) high (12) high (16) very high (20)
very high (5) moderate (5) moderate (10) high (15) very high (20) very high (25)

beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organi- One has identified the potential environmental as-
zation’s environmental aspects [8]”. pects, among which the following have been the spe-
The number describing the probability of environ- cific ones:
mental impact occurrence, with taking into considera- • metal-pickling waste water and rinsing liquids,
tion all of the preventive actions, has been named the • risk of the industrial accident, connected with ap-
occurrence priority number (O) and it has been ascribed plication of the pickling bath, metal-pickling
value 1-5. The guidance indispensable for the occur- waste water and flux,
rence assessment has been compared in Table 1. • waste water as used-up flux,
The number describing meaning of the environmen- • consumption of zinc and other resources,
tal aspects results has been named as the significance • emission of hydrochloric acid and zinc in the par-
priority number (S) and it has been ascribed value 1-5. ticulate matter,
The guidance indispensable for the number assessment • emission of the particulate matter, sulphur diox-
has been compared in Table 2. ide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide,
Environmental impact (EI) of each of the environ- • occurrence of the waste both as a steel and zinc
mental aspects has been evaluated based on the envi- scrap, and the municipal ones,
ronmental risk assessment matrix – Table 3.
Acceptability of the environmental impact has been Table 4 Comparison of the results of chosen environmental
defined based on the EI value: impacts’ assessment in the hot-dip galvanizing
process.
• 1 ÷ 10: very low ÷ moderate – acceptable (A),
• 12 ÷ 16: high – acceptable under control (CA), Environmental aspect Environmental impact O S EI A
• 20 ÷ 25: very high – non-acceptable (NA). zinc combustion decrease of the natu- 5 2 10 A
ral sources
industrial accident – uncontrolled pollution 1 5 5 A
RESULTS IN HOT-DIP GALVANIZING metal-pickling waste of the soil
water and rinsing
PROCESS liquids
emission of the nitro- pollution of the air 5 3 15 CA
The prepared methodology has been applied for the gen dioxide with the nitrogen
assessment of environmental influence of the hot-dip dioxide, acid rains and
galvanization processes, together with taking into con- soil acidification
occurrence of the storage before recy- 5 1 5 A
sideration the following operations: pickling with the
waste – as a steel and cling
hydrochloric acid solution, rinsing, fluxing with the zinc scrap
zinc and ammonium chloride and glycerin, drying and energy intake using-up the natural 5 2 10 A
hot-dip galvanization in bath. sources

METALURGIJA 56 (2017) 1-2, 188-190 189


T. KARKOSZKA: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HOT-DIP GALVANIZATION PROCESSES

• energy and water intake, ment and represented by the galvanization process. Si-
• noise emission. multaneously, the results are the base for pointing these
For each of them one has defined the occurrence environmental aspects as the meaningful in the galvani-
priority number and the significance priority number, zation process and which should be under the special
and next – using the evaluation matrix – one has defined control.
the environmental risk and its acceptability. The results
of the carried out analysis have been presented in the
REFERENCES
Table 4.
[1] Steel Industry and the Environment. Technical Report No
38, International Iron and Steel Institute, Brussels, 1997.
CONCLUSIONS [2] A.R. Marder, Metallurgy of zinc-coated steel, Progress in
Materials Science 45 (2000) 3, 191-271.
The presented methodology of environmental as- [3] D. Jędrzejczak, Effect of high temperature oxidation on
pects assessment can be the tool for environmental im- structure and corrosion resistance of the zinc coating depo-
provement of processes by being the base of minimiz- sited on cast iron, Archives of metallurgy and materials 57
ing or eliminating their negative influence on the envi- (2012) 1, 145-154.
ronment. [4] F. Porter, Zinc handbook. Properties, processing, and use
in design, Marcel Dekker, Inc, New York, 1991.
Application of the developed methodology within
[5] S. Kahar, H. Panchal, R. Patel, Effect of conventional and
the range of the analyzed process has confirmed that it non-conventional (eco-friendly) fluxes on hot dip galvani-
poses especially high threat in the scope of environmen- zing - a review, International Journal of Advance Enginee-
tal influence. ring and Research Development 1 (2014) 12, 30-36.
The most meaningful, from the point of view of en- [6] T. Karkoszka, Factors influencing the requirements fulfil-
vironmental impacts, are the aspects connected with the ment in the zinc coating processes, METALURGIJA 56
(2017) 1-2, 577-581.
following:
[7] U. Kerney, Treatment of spent pickling acids from hot dip
• producing the metal-pickling waste water and galvanizing, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 10
rinsing liquids, being the effect of pickling in the (1994) 1-2, 145-151.
acid solutions and resulting in water and soil con- [8] J. Glasson, R. Therivel, A. Chadwick, Introduction to En-
tamination, vironmental Impact Assessment, Routledge, London and
• emission of the particulate matter, sulphur diox- New York, 2012.
[9] PN-EN ISO 14001. Environmental management systems
ide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, being the
- Requirements with guidance for use, PKN Publishing
effect of heating-up the pickling and zinc bath House, Warsaw 2005.
and resulting in pollution of the air, acid rains and [10] Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parlia-
soil acidification. ment and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the vo-
For the pointed environmental aspects, value of the luntary participation by organisations in a Community
environmental impact ratio was EI = 15. At the same eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS).
time, the environmental impact has been defined as the
high and acceptable after the application of the supervi-
sion means limiting the environmental risk.
The results of the carried out assessment represent Note: The professional translator responsible for English language
the confirmation of meaningful threat for the environ- is Dominika Wnukowska, Katowice, Poland

190 METALURGIJA 56 (2017) 1-2, 188-190

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