Gains will be driven by more stringent pollution controls in the US and China, and expanding
production of edible oils, beverages, and sweeteners in much of the rest of the world.
World demand to advance
10.3% yearly through 2016
World demand for activated carbon is
expected to increase more than ten
percent per year through 2016 to 1.9
million metric tons. This high rate of
growth will be attributable to a number of
factors, though regulatory changes in the
US will be the largest single driver.
China’s activated carbon market will also
rise rapidly as the country’s Twelfth Five-
Year Plan (2011-2015) seeks to improve
water and air quality in the nation.
Expanding production of edible oils,
beverages, and sweeteners will stimulate
growth in much of the rest of the
world, but overall demand will rise more
slowly than in the US and China.
New rules to spur worldleading
gains in US demand
The US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) placed into force new
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
(MATS) in 2011. These rules require
drastic reductions in mercury emitted
from coal-fired power plants, industrial
boilers, and portland cement kilns,
among other sources. Activated carbon
is widely accepted to be the most
economical and effective method for
controlling these emissions, and enormous
amounts of activated carbon will
be needed to do so. Further regulatory
changes, such as the implementation of
the EPA’s Disinfectants and Disinfection
Byproducts Rule in 2012, limit the
allowable concentration of a variety of chemicals in US drinking water. The new
rules will spur world-leading growth in
US activated carbon demand between
2011 and 2016, with overall sales
expected to more than double.
The activated carbon market in China
will be driven by more than regulation,
and will advance at a slightly lower rate
than sales in the US. While implementation
of the newest Five-Year Plan will
bolster activated carbon use, gains will
also come from increasing consumption
by industry, as demand for activated
carbon rises faster than the world
average. The Twelfth Five-Year Plan will
also lead to greater use of activated
carbon in water treatment and in air
purification. Consumption of activated carbon at the household level in point-ofuse
tap water filtration systems will also
boost demand.
Several other nations will also experience
rapid growth. For instance, India
is expected to surpass Germany to
become the fourth largest market for
activated carbon in 2016 (behind Japan),
with sales rising on increased food and
beverage manufacturing and increased
levels of water treatment. Many other
nations in the Asia/Pacific region, along
with many in Central and South America,
Eastern Europe and the Africa/Mideast
region, will exceed historical growth
levels as industrial, water treatment and
food and beverage production markets
for activated carbon grow.
Study Scope
This study analyzes the 1.2 million metric ton global activated carbon industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 2001, 2006 and 2011, and forecasts for 2016 and 2021 by type (e.g., powdered, granular), application (liquid phase, gas phase), market (e.g., industrial, water treatment, food and beverage processing, motor vehicle, pharmaceutical and medical), world region and for 17 countries.
The study also evaluates company market share, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 31 industry participants, including Calgon Carbon, Norit and MeadWestvaco.
