The Environmental Impact Of Hot Dip Galvanizing - Tanya Galvanizers

The Environmental Impact Of Hot Dip Galvanizing

For producing building materials of any type does require energy inputs, materials, waste outputs and emission. The key towards sustainable development can be started to lower down the environmental impact upon producing a product. This is achieved through optimizing manufacturing. More objective measures and transparency have been pushed by specifiers, especially those committed towards sustainable development.

The fact is Hot Dip Galvanizing steel does come with several environmental benefits which can help to minimize the overall impact to the environment over the project’s life.

 

Abundant, Natural Materials

It is from two naturally found elements that are found in abundance like iron ore and zinc that Hot Dip Galvanizing steel is created from. The base metal is iron ore (steel), which is regarded to be the fourth most found element within the Earth’s crust. Hot Dip Galvanizing Coating comprises of about 98% of zinc is considered to be a healthy, natural metal. Zinc of over 5.8 million tons is being cycled naturally through the environment. This is done by rainfall, animal and plant life, as well as another natural phenomenon.

Zinc is also regarded to be essential to life. It is required by humans and even microorganisms to survive. It is equally crucial for growth since it plays a significant role in cell growth, division and wound healing. An important role is also played in the regular functioning like digestion, breathing, cognition and reproduction. Zinc, among all micronutrients, is said to have a very strong effect upon the immune system, thereby helping to fight infection and preventing diseases. It is also used in fertilizers for promoting growth and fortifying crops.

With zinc being found naturally in the environment and cycled throughout, using HDG steel is not likely to introduce any kind of harmful or disruptive elements to the overall eco-system.

Renewable Resources

Steel and zinc being both abundantly naturally found are infinitely recyclable. There is found no loss of chemical or physical properties. It effectively means instead of getting down-cycled into the other types of products or its uses, they can be repeatedly used as steel and zinc, without their integrity getting compromised. Hence, when taking into consideration HDG steel’s life cycle assessment, this can be termed to be a cradle to cradle product. This is because no ‘grave’ exists for steel or zinc.

The other wonderful benefit towards minimising the environmental impact is HDG steel’s 100% recyclability aspect. Its primary components, steel and zinc can be recycled, which is held crucial. Two recyclability measures do exist which will define ultimately the positive contribution made towards the environment, namely, reclamation rate and recycling rate.

  • Reclamation rate is said to measure the number of times, the product has been recycled at the end of the useful life.
  • Recycling content can be termed to be the volume of product which is produced from the different recycled sources.

The world’s most recycled material is steel, while zinc boasts of having high reclamation rate. Thus, it leads to having a higher recycling rate, since the reclaimed steel and zinc is put back to use once again. When HDG steel is concerned, structural steel’s recycling rate is much better, over 90%. Zinc’s recycling rate is much lower since not much zinc is available for reclamation purpose for creating a recycled product. It is its longevity and durability factor that allows it to be used for decades.

Quality Galvanizing Job work is done by the industry specialists, who can offer the very best, cost effective solutions.

Economic Advantage of Hot Dip Galvanizing

For the general public across the construction galvanizing industry and specifiers, sustainable development is very much crucial. It can be stated to be the environmental, economic and social commitment made towards development and growth. This is to meet the specific requirements of the present, but not at the cost of compromising the capability of the future generations in meeting their very own needs. An Economic factor often gets lost when emphasising sustainability factor. For achieving this true sustainability factor, there is to be created environmentally friendly structures. These also are to be responsible economically towards the future generations, helping them to thrive.

Better Economic Stability

With social pressure driving the sustainability movement, the specifiers are noticed to become much more analytical and invested when it comes to evaluating those materials that are used in the projects. Hence, the sustainability centres when considering the future, not only should regard the initial cost, but should develop appropriate long-term, life cost analysis. It is proper project cost evaluation throughout its life that can help to ensure better economic stability especially for the future generations to come.

How can Hot Dip Galvanized prove to be beneficial?

With Hot Dip Galvanized steel, Galvanizing of crash barriers, Galvanizing of earthing strips and Galvanizing of raceways becomes much easier and effective. It offers economic savings both initially as well as throughout the project’s life, thus freeing up a good amount of money to undertake new construction projects instead of focusing on costly maintenance work. Within the specifying community, the common perception is that Hot Dip Galvanized steel is much more cost prohibitive initially. But with regular improvements made in the process, combined with stable prices of zinc, galvanized steel has become competitive and less expensive when compared to other types of corrosion protection systems. Moreover, due to quick erection and turnaround, using Hot Dip Galvanized steel does offer during construction stage, wide range cost savings.

Even though, the initial cost is held crucial, trying to analyse the costs across the project life does offer the future generations with a much more comprehensive picture. LCC or life cycle cost does take into account the initial cost along with direct maintenance costs related to the structure’s life. It also includes money’s time value over the life of the project using NPV (net present value) along with NFV (net future value) calculations.

Since Hot Dip Galvanized steel is known offer maintenance-free corrosion protection for decades, the initial cost often is considered to be the life cycle, final cost. It can be really tough to evaluate LCC. Therefore for facilitating the analysis, LCCC (life cycle cost calculator) has been developed by the AGA. Calculations taken from the ASTM-A1068 standard practice is considered and the resulting data is used.

Read more: The Benefits of Galvanized Steel | Tanya Galvanizers

The Benefits of Online Calculator

Users are allowed by this online calculator to input the project’s parameters and to compare the life cycle and initial costs of Hot Dip Galvanizing to over thirty different corrosion protection systems, which are based upon the life cycle and initial costs of using duplex systems. These systems could be initially more expensive since payment is to be made up front for both the systems (paint and galvanizing). However, the initial investment is sure to provide much better returns over the project’s life, since it does require very less maintenance.

Overall, hot dip galvanizing steel does offer in numerous benefits to enjoy in the long run.