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NewsGalvan's Commitment To Environmental Stewardship Shows In Its "Green" Manufacturing ExpertiseHARRISBURG, NC - At Galvan Industries, the efficient manufacturing of grounding rods and accessory products for telecom, construction and utility applications goes hand in hand with a commitment to processes that promote sustainability and reflect environmental stewardship.Throughout its 50-year history, Galvan has nurtured a spirit of innovation and a willingness to forge leadership positions within its industry. Today, Galvan is the only U.S. manufacturer of both UL-listed hot-dip galvanized ground rods and UL-listed copper-plated ground rods, and is among the "greenest" manufacturers of either product. Consider how Galvan uses smart scheduling to minimize its use and cost for electricity. When possible, production is scheduled only for nights and weekends - off-peak load times when electricity is least expensive. This alone significantly reduces Galvan's carbon footprint. Eco-Friendly Copper Plating Reduces Use Of Materials Recycling of raw materials plays an integral role in how Galvan's patented copper-plating process efficiently turns out high-performance products. One principle of enhancing "green" manufacturing is minimizing the use of raw materials. The unique Galvan copper plating approach does exactly that. At the core of the Galvan plating system is relatively new technology that creates several unique efficiencies by incorporating insoluble anodes -- specially prepared titanium plates coated with a proprietary precious metal oxide film. Traditional copper plating approaches use anodes of a copper alloy containing the element phosphorus, which are specially prepared for plating use. These copper anodes are soluble; they are dissolved in the plating process and deposited on to the ground rod or other product being plated. Unfortunately, this conventional approach generates more dissolved copper than can be plated on the product. The resulting plating solutions become more concentrated in dissolved copper and eventually require disposal. A Better Copper Plating Solution By using efficient insoluble anodes, Galvan eliminates the need to dispose of excess copper containing plating solution by depositing all of the plating solution's copper on to the target products. The Galvan process uses scrap copper to provide the source for copper metal for plating instead of a special plating alloy copper metal. The use of scrap copper eliminates from the process steps needed for melting, alloying and forming the copper plating alloy material. In fact, most copper plating alloy material is made from the same scrap copper the Galvan process uses. Galvan's process is more accurately described as electrowinning (also called electroextraction) -- an industrial electrolytic process first experimented with in the 1700s and commonly used in the U.S. for a century and a half. The scrap copper is dissolved in a liquid, and through electrolysis, pure copper is directly deposited on to product. Copper is refined in a similar manner from copper ore. A True Waste-Free Process Also, because the copper is more efficiently deposited on to a product, no surplus hazardous waste copper plating solution is generated. In fact, the Galvan plating process produces no wastes at all since all solutions used in the process are recycled or reused. The environmental benefits of the unique Galvan plating process are many. First, all the costs associated with converting scrap copper into copper plating alloy are avoided. These include the energy required to melt, refine and alloy the scrap into another form and composition as well as the materials such as phosphorus used in the process. Also, all of the wastes produced in the conversion process are eliminated. "Green" Hot-Dip Galvanizing, Too Galvan's environmental sensitivity extends beyond copper plating. The company is producing hot-dip galvanized steel ground rods using an innovative closed loop system that ranks among the most eco-friendly galvanizing operations in the industry. Process highlights include low air emissions, full recyclability of zinc and steel, minimization of needed resources and complete absence of any manufacturing wastes - liquids or solids - requiring disposal off-site. Many steps in the Galvan process of using molten zinc metal differ from conventional galvanizing approaches. Galvan continually recycles the zinc, steel and iron in its process so no waste materials are produced. In fact, Galvan reuses some production materials that competitors ship off site to be recycled. Acids are also used extensively in the Galvan process for cleaning steel before galvanizing. The company introduced a continuous recycling process that removes metals from the cleaning baths in the form of metal salts. These metal salts are concentrated and precipitated out, then centrifuged to remove liquids. The resulting zinc-iron heptahydrate crystal is sold for use as an animal feed supplement instead of being shipped to a landfill. Water removed during the centrifuging operation is used as make-up water and is continually returned to the process tanks. In fact, Galvan holds a zero discharge permit with the State of North Carolina. Hot-dip galvanizing is a great way to extend the life of steel and reduce the use of raw materials for replacement. But using galvanized steel produced in an eco-friendly plant makes that decision even more "green." Galvan's commitment to making its manufacturing processes more environmentally sound is the basis for the innovative technologies it brings to both galvanizing and copper plating for ground rod electrodes. ABOUT GALVAN INDUSTRIES, INC. Galvan Industries, Inc. manufacturers quality galvanized, copper plated and stainless steel ground rods plus a full range of connectors and accessories. Specifiers in the electrical and telecom fields rely on Galvan for products that meet ASTM, ANSI, UL and RUS standards. Galvan Industries has been a major supplier of hot dip galvanizing services to businesses and industries throughout the Southeast for 50 years. Its molten zinc process protects steel from rust better than any other coating or treatment. To learn more, or for ordering, contact Galvan Industries at 1-800-277-5678, Fax (704) 455-5215; email: sales@galvanelectrical.com. On the Web at www.galvanelectrical.com. Electrical Products Home Page • Galvanizing Home Page • Site Map • Email Galvan Galvan Industries, Inc. Electrical Products Division, LLC • PO Box 369 • 7320 Millbrook Rd Harrisburg, North Carolina 28075 • 704.455.5102 • Fax: 704.455.5215 Toll Free: 1.800.277.5678 |
