Thesis problems: cannot find galvanized steel, anodization and other surface treatments

Question

Hi everyone!

I'm a last year's master student, currently trying to conclude my thesis as I'm making a comparative LCA.

I'm working with ecoinvent database and I can't seem to find galvanized steel in that database. Does somebody know how to simulate that or where I can find it (same with anodization)?

Also, is it possible to select surface treatments without having to specify the surface area? Unfortunately, the data I received is not very good so I have to work with what I got. My professor suggested looking for existing LCAs and incorporating them in my analysis, but for now we don't have a clue on how to do that.

Thanks in advance for all the help and tips. I can really use them!

Belanna

Answer 1

Hello Belanna,

If you are using EcoInvent, i would recommend looking for the processes called zinc coating (coils or pieces). They represent the hot dip zinc treatment. You can investigate the amount of zinc used per m2 in the process, and convert it to the amount needed.

Furthermore, it should also be possible to find EPD's on galvanized steel products, that you can use as a proxy, or a comparison.

Best of luck in your search.