Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Industrial Zn and Zn-Al Hot-Dip Galvanizing Processes for Steel Wire Production

Hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) is a widely adopted industrial process for enhancing the corrosion resistance and service life of steel products; however, it is also characterized by high energy and material consumption. In this study, a process-oriented Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied to compare the environmental performance of two industrial steel wire coating routes: conventional hot-dip zinc (Zn) coating and zinc–aluminum (Zn–Al) coating. The analysis is based on primary data collected from an industrial galvanizing line operated by Metallurgica Abruzzese S.p.A. (Italy) and focuses exclusively on the manufacturing stage, using a gate-to-gate approach. The system boundary includes surface preparation, thermo-metallurgical coating treatment—comprising induction annealing, hot-dip galvanizing and, for the Zn–Al route, an additional molten Zn–Al bath—followed by wire cooling and final handling operations. Results show that the Zn–Al coating route leads to a significantly higher environmental impact at the manufacturing stage, with an approximately 44% higher GWP100 compared to conventional Zn coating. Contribution analysis reveals that this increase is primarily driven by the additional thermo-metallurgical coating step, which entails higher material input and thermal energy consumption, rather than by aluminum content alone. The findings highlight the dominant role of material selection and thermal process management in determining the environmental performance of industrial galvanizing lines.

You have full access to the following eBook

Read eBook

Info:

Periodical:

Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1051)

Pages:

155-164

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-WGyA0X

Citation:

Cite this paper

Online since:

April 2026

Authors:

Mauro Carta*, Pasquale Buonadonna, Sergio D’Angelo, Paolo de Berardinis, Gabriele Derosas, Mohamad El Mehtedi

Keywords:

Energy Demand, Industrial Galvanizing, Life Cycle Assessment, Process Sustainability, Steel Wire Production, Zn-Al Coating

Export:

RIS, BibTeX

Permissions:

Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

Citation:

* - Corresponding Author

References

[1] G. Lopez, J. Farfan and C. Breyer, Trends in the global steel industry: Evolutionary projections and defossilisation pathways through power-to-steel, Journal of Cleaner Production 375 (2022) 134182.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134182

Google Scholar

[2] S. Strasser and S. Tripathi, Forecasting Steel Demand: Comparative Analysis of Predictability across diverse Countries and Regions, Procedia Computer Science 232 (2024) 2740–2750.

DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2024.02.091

Google Scholar

[3] B.J. van Ruijven, D.P. van Vuuren, W. Boskaljon, M.L. Neelis, D. Saygin and M.K. Patel, Long-term model-based projections of energy use and CO2 emissions from the global steel and cement industries, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 112 (2016) 15–36.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.04.016

Google Scholar

[4] H. Kania, Corrosion and Anticorrosion of Alloys/Metals: The Important Global Issue, Coatings 13 (2023) 216.

DOI: 10.3390/coatings13020216

Google Scholar

[5] Y. Wang, C. Feng, T. Lin, R. Zhu, J. Zhang, H. Yang, S. Yi, J. He, M. Tu and G. Wei, A Review of Wear-Resistant Coatings for Steel Substrates: Applications and Challenges, Metals 15 (2025) 1231.

DOI: 10.3390/met15111231

Google Scholar

[6] U.V. Akhil, N. Radhika, L. Rajeshkumar and G. Sivaswamy, A Comprehensive Review on Ceramic Coating on Steel and Centrifugal Thermite Process: Applications and Future Trends, Journal of Bio- and Tribo-Corrosion 9 (2023) 41.

DOI: 10.1007/s40735-023-00765-6

Google Scholar

[7] I. Chopra, S.K. Ola, Priyanka, V. Dhayal and D.S. Shekhawat, Recent advances in epoxy coatings for corrosion protection of steel: Experimental and modelling approach-A review, Materials Today: Proceedings 62 (2022) 1658–1663.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2022.04.659

Google Scholar

[8] A. Milone, P. Foti, L.M. Viespoli, D. Wan, F. Mutignani, R. Landolfo and F. Berto, Influence of hot-dip galvanization on the fatigue performance of high-strength bolted connections, Engineering Structures 299 (2024) 117136.

DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.117136

Google Scholar

[9] E.P. Najafabadi, A. Heidarpour and S. Raina, Hot-dip galvanizing of high and ultra-high strength thin-walled CHS steel tubes: Mechanical performance and coating characteristics, Thin-Walled Structures 164 (2021) 107744.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tws.2021.107744

Google Scholar

[10] R. Tongpool, A. Jirajariyavech, C. Yuvaniyama and T. Mungcharoen, Analysis of steel production in Thailand: Environmental impacts and solutions, Energy 35 (2010) 4192–4200.

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.07.003

Google Scholar

[11] T. Álvarez-Álvarez, A. Barbón, L. Bayón and C.A. Silva, Energy, exergy, sustainability, environmental emission, and fuel cost analysis of a hot-dip galvanised steel wire process, Energy 319 (2025) 134897.

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134897

Google Scholar

[12] A.R. Marder, The metallurgy of zinc-coated steel, Progress in Materials Science 45 (2000) 191–271.

DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6425(98)00006-1

Google Scholar

[13] A. Arguillarena, M. Margallo, A. Urtiaga and A. Irabien, Life-cycle assessment as a tool to evaluate the environmental impact of hot-dip galvanisation, Journal of Cleaner Production 290 (2021) 125676.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125676

Google Scholar

[14] A. Arguillarena, M. Margallo and A. Urtiaga, Carbon footprint of the hot-dip galvanisation process using a life cycle assessment approach, Cleaner Engineering and Technology 2 (2021) 100041.

DOI: 10.1016/j.clet.2021.100041

Google Scholar