Activated Carbon Demand in Industrial Air Purification to Grow Over 7% Annually Through 2022

Activated carbon demand in industrial air purification totaled 343,900 metric tons in 2017. This market will see the fastest growth of the major global applications for activated carbon, with annual growth of 7.1% through 2022. The Asia/Pacific region will post the fastest increases. China in particular has made a concerted effort to tackle air pollution, but other developing countries in the region are beginning to address air quality issues as well. These and other trends are presented in Global Activated Carbon, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

According to analyst Zoe Biller, “On the other hand, growth in the US will slow, constrained by a delay in the implementation of the US EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS).” This legislation spurred strong growth over the past decade, but gains halted when many power plant operators chose to delay compliance or shut down older plants.

Global demand for activated carbon (liquid phase and gas phase) in all markets, will grow 4.2% per year to 1.8 million metric tons in 2022. Gas phase applications will continue to increase their market share relative to liquid phase applications. The industrial air purification segment will be the primary driver of this shift, fueled by stricter air quality standards that mandate reduced levels of mercury and other contaminants.

In a continuation of historical trends for liquid phase applications, the large drinking water treatment segment is expected to be the most significant contributor to growth in volume terms, although smaller applications such as pharmaceutical and medical will post robust gains in percentage terms.

Global Activated Carbon (published 12/2018, 330 pages) is available for $6500 from The Freedonia Group. Please link citations to https://www.freedoniagroup.com/World-Activated-Carbon.html.