Bangladesh’s steel factories less polluting

The steel manufacturing plants in Bangladesh are less polluting and the lowest carbon emitters compared to the largest producers globally, mainly for the melting process followed locally and the efficient consumption of energy and water, said a top industrialist.  

The process that Bangladeshi steel makers are following in producing steel is melting scrap, which is part of recycling, said Aameir Alihussain, managing director of BSRM, the country's leading steel maker, an interview with The Daily Star recently.

"We are among the lowest carbon emitter since our steel-making process is reusing scrap. The most polluting and carbon-emitting steel producing industries are those that use iron ore, coal or others to produce steel."  

Local steel manufacturers are also consuming energy and water in an efficient manner and there is no noteworthy wastage in the industry, he opined.

He, however, admitted that there are some gas wastage by the second and third-tier players in the sector and they need to make improvements and invest in technologies for the efficient use of gas.

"In terms of using electricity, most of the factories have attained a certain level of efficiency and there is no significant wastage in the use of power compared to the global standard."'

BSRM is also one of the most-efficient steel manufacturers in Bangladesh. Swedish agency EPD International AB has also recognised BSRM's efficiency in carbon emission.

A recent study by the Department of Environment found that the emission of carbon from BSRM Steel Ltd in Sitakunda is 0.29mg per cubic metre against the country's standard of 35mg.

The group has taken eco-friendly initiatives to reduce pollution.

"We use electric induction furnaces in our plants. This is the lowest carbon emitter," Alihussain said.

Each of the seven steel plants of BSRM has an air pollution control system. The group has installed Japanese air pollution control (APC) technology that captures harmful emissions.

We are among the lowest carbon emitters since our steel-making process is reusing scrap. The most polluting and carbon-emitting steel-producing industrial units are those that use iron ore and coal. Aameir Alihussain

— Managing director of BSRM

Through the APC system, all solid suspended particles that are contained in the gaseous fumes produced during steel production are retained and only clean, zero dust air is discharged into the atmosphere, said Alihussain.

"Our air pollution control system is something unique and this enables us to collect the dust. We are exporting this dust, so we don't need to dump it."

A lot of water is required in the steel manufacturing process. But the industrialist says BSRM is very efficient in water usage and recycles water. No water used in the plants is discharged outside.

The group has installed technologically superior European water treatment plants in its factories that help recycle water and achieve zero water wastage. BSRM recycles 373,700 cubic metres of water every day.

"The only wastage in water is evaporation," Alihussain said.

According to the entrepreneur, there is a possibility of wastage when there is an abundance of any resource. Historically, the highest wastage in the country took place in the usage of gas because everybody took the energy for granted initially.

Even a few years ago, most industries did not think of investing in technologies to ensure efficient consumption of gas because it was very cheap and availability was never an issue.

"If something is taken for granted, you will have a long-term inefficiency in the system," Alihussain said.

As the country failed to increase power generation in line with the growth of the economy and ensure a credible power supply in the past, entrepreneurs went for setting up captive power plants. But gas usage was very inefficient in those plants compared to larger power plants.

Due to that policy that offered cheaper gas to captive power plants, an inefficient system was created, he said.

The group is planning to install technology in its new rolling plant in Mirsarai aiming at saving gas by using hot billet instead of cold ones. Hot billets would be immediately used to produce bars using the technology, he said.

BSRM's seven steel manufacturing plants have a combined annual production capacity of 1.6 million tonnes of MS rod and 1.9 million tonnes of MS billet.

It has also set up BSRM Wires at its Mirsarai site to manufacture various products such as galvanised wire. It has an annual capacity of 65,500 tonnes.

Its under-construction MS rod plant in the site will come into operation by the middle of the next fiscal year, raising the group's MS rod manufacturing capacity to 24 lakh tonnes per year.