PURPOSE: To recover high-grade metal zinc from steel making dust with a small scale at a practicable cost.

CONSTITUTION: The steel making dust is subjected to reduction roasting and zinc and other easily volatile components are recovered as a crude zinc oxide. The residual ashes of aluminum refining of the amt. necessary for reaction with the metal zinc in the crude zinc oxide are mixed with the captured crude zinc oxide and fluxes consisting of CaO, Na2CO3, NaOH, etc., are mixed therewith. The mixture is then lumped. The lump is heated to 800 to 1200°C in a reaction vessel where the zinc is reduced and evaporated by the thermit reaction of the metal aluminum in the residual ashes of aluminum refining and the zinc oxide in the crude zinc oxide. The evaporated metal zinc is recovered by a filter.