Environmental Assessment of The Hot-Dip Galvanization Processes
Environmental Assessment of The Hot-Dip Galvanization Processes
Environmental Assessment of The Hot-Dip Galvanization Processes
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
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
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
• 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.
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(2017) 1-2, 577-581.
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[7] U. Kerney, Treatment of spent pickling acids from hot dip
• producing the metal-pickling waste water and galvanizing, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 10
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[9] PN-EN ISO 14001. Environmental management systems
ide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, being the
- Requirements with guidance for use, PKN Publishing
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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