Analysis of the environmental behavior of steels and coatings for their use in power plants construction

Abstract This work presents a cradle‐to‐grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of several of the most typical steels, coatings, and deposition processes used in electrical energy production plants, with the aim of studying specific effects of components and processes, as well as evaluating the emission of polluting substances. Results for the uncoated steels proved that elements such as V and Co had a detrimental effect on their environmental performance, while the presence of Ti was associated with lower impacts. Likewise, Ni and Cr content did not seem to have a direct relationship with their behavior, so preference for ferritic or austenitic steels could not be established. It was also demonstrated that the presence of Nb in the coating and the electrical consumption required by the deposition process had an unfavorable influence on the system's environmental impacts. A general pattern could be observed for the emissions of polluting substances, being higher for coatings and deposition processes than for uncoated steels, although there are specific characteristics for each case. This work represents an advance when it comes to analyzing the specific environmental effects of certain components and processes involved in power plants, as well as the quantification of polluting emissions associated.