Germany aims to be greenhouse gas neutral by 2045 – making it increasingly crucial to rely on sustainable and durable solutions, including in infrastructure and construction. For years, the climate protection company ZINQ has been offering heavy-duty corrosion protection systems according to Cradle to Cradle (C2C) standards for hot-dip galvanised surfaces on steel.

Generally speaking, the decision to use hot-dip galvanised steels is a prime example of how it is possible to protect the environment and significantly reduce total greenhouse gas emissions, because they are durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and thus, in the spirit of the circular economy, perfect multi-recycling materials.

Durable acoustic barriers for a quiet environment

Whether along roads or railways: acoustic barriers help to comply with legal noise limits. Their batch-galvanised supporting structure provides a solid foundation for these barriers – and a range of benefits. By being immersed in molten zinc at 450 °C, the steel beams acquire a highly robust and corrosion-resistant surface. This is already advantageous during transport and assembly, as no damage is caused to the zinc coating and no touch-ups are required. And during use, the galvanising withstands the most adverse weather conditions as well as further stresses, such as loose chippings thrown up by passing cars or trains. The hot-dip galvanised components are considered maintenance-free, meaning that no maintenance work (concerning corrosion protection) needs to be scheduled for the service life of the acoustic barriers. And this is also a plus point in many respects: studies using bridges as an example show that this makes it possible to avoid external effects in sustainability assessments, such as those caused by roadworks (for example, traffic disruption or air pollution). This not only saves resources, but also has a positive impact on the carbon footprint.

What a noise barrier looks like with ZINQ's involvement? Visitors can get an idea of this at the Mühldorf am Inn Technology Park. Here, Deutsche Bahn, with the support of various companies and the city of Mühldorf among others, has created a unique park that offers interested parties hands-on railway technology. On the open-air site, ZINQ is presenting both batch-hot-dip galvanised noise barrier posts and a colourZINQ variant. The latter involves the application of environmentally friendly paint coatings directly after hot-dip galvanising, thus ensuring an individual appearance for the components.