Towards Sustainable Alternatives to Hard Chrome Plating: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

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Poster Number:  16 

Main Presenter:    Anastasia Greget 

Co-Authors:   Olivier Talon     Gregory GUILBERT                                          

Hard chromium plating based on hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is widely used in the metallurgical industry to provide tooling and mechanical components with high resistance to wear and corrosion. However, due to its well-documented adverse effects on human health and the environment, Cr(VI) is identified as a substance of very high concern and is subject to strict restrictions under the European REACH regulation. This regulatory pressure reinforces the need to develop and assess high-performance, safe and more sustainable technological alternatives.

The ACHEVALD project addresses this challenge by conducting a prospective environmental assessment of substitution solutions for hard hexavalent chromium plating. Four families of surface treatment technologies are investigated, combining wet processes (electroplated nickel–tungsten alloy coatings and electroless nickel–boron coatings) and dry processes (plasma transferred arc cladding and laser cladding). These solutions aim to meet the high functional requirements of industrial tooling while reducing the environmental impacts associated with conventional surface treatment processes.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is carried out to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the investigated processes and coatings from the early stages of technological development. This approach enables the comparison of alternative substitution scenarios, the identification of the main contributors to environmental impacts (energy use, raw materials, thermal treatments and consumables), and the identification of potential eco-design levers.

The technologies assessed are positioned between TRL 5 and TRL 8, with experimental validation on representative demonstrators and a clear perspective for short-term industrial implementation. LCA is therefore used as a decision-support tool to guide technological choices prior to large-scale industrial deployment. This study highlights the role of environmental assessment as a strategic decision-making tool to support industrial stakeholders in selecting surface treatment solutions that reconcile functional performance, environmental ambitions and regulatory constraints related to Cr(VI).

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