4. Environmental aspects

The cost of steel corrosion is such that it is expressed as a percentage (between 1 and 5%) of the country's gross domestic product. Steel production is very energy-intensive, and the carbon footprint is very high when steel is put into circulation. This is due to the extraction of the ore, its transformation in steel mills and the cost of various forms of transport. Ensuring the durability of steel through anti-corrosion phenomena is therefore a key challenge.

Nevertheless, corrosion control methods must not be allowed to have a significant environmental impact. For example, repeated maintenance using paints or varnishes will have a higher energy and financial cost than the galvanizing process. It is for this reason that galvanizing is preferred for public infrastructure projects, as it limits maintenance costs. On the other hand, for steel elements with a short...