Steel billet factories are now processing furnace smoke into ash for export, generating nearly $20 million annually.
Previously, factory smoke was converted into ash and discarded, without realizing its potential as a valuable export product. However, as the volume of ash from factories began to rise, entrepreneurs discovered that this ash has demand in the global market. Upon learning this, they began exporting ash, and now steel factories are earning millions of dollars yearly from it.
The path to exporting ash and earning foreign currency was first paved by the Chattogram-based steel factory BSRM. Around a decade ago, BSRM invested in ash processing to control air pollution and protect the environment. Since 2012, the company has been exporting ash on a limited scale. Later, other steel billet producers like GPH Ispat and KSRM joined this initiative. However, apart from BSRM and GPH, most factories do not export directly. Instead, they sell the ash to various commercial entities, which then export it to countries such as China, Spain, India, Korea, Turkey, Thailand, and the United States. This ash is primarily used as a raw material for making ink and printer cartridges.
Customs data shows that the ash is exported under the names zinc ash and zinc oxide. According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), in the fiscal year 2020–21, the export of these products generated $17.5 million, with nearly $10 million coming from ash exports alone. The rest came from a by-product of corrugated iron sheet factories called zinc dross.
