Environmental prospects for galvanizing steel technologies

The article discusses the main technologies for applying zinc coatings, which make it possible to protect steel products from corrosion and thereby reduce the harmful impact on the environment. The technological features of hot, galvanic, thermal diffusion, cold and gas-thermal galvanizing are described. A comparative analysis of the considered galvanizing technologies was carried out from the point of view of their harmful effects on the environment and human health. The analysis made it possible to establish that hot-dip galvanizing is applicable to protect steel strips and wires, which has minimal impact on the environment, but the surface preparation processes for it cause significant harm to the environment and human health. Electroplating production is one of the most dangerous sources of environmental pollution, due to the fact that both in the surface preparation process and during the coating itself, reagents and electrolytes are used that have a harmful effect on both the environment and human health. Thermal diffusion, cold and gas-thermal galvanizing during surface preparation allows mechanical cleaning using abrasive materials, which significantly increases the environmental friendliness of these methods. Thermal diffusion and gas-thermal galvanizing are by far the most environmentally friendly processes and allow the application of corrosion-resistant coatings to products of complex shapes. The use of wire in gas-thermal galvanizing makes it possible to increase the economic efficiency of the process compared to powder technologies. The equipment used for thermal spraying is universal and can be used to apply various protective coatings, as well as restore worn parts. The impact of this galvanizing method on the environment is minimal and is today one of the most effective and promising methods of protecting steel products from corrosion.