Demand in the columnar activated carbon industry is growing and market competition is fierce

Pillar activated carbon is a granular activated carbon with a black cylindrical appearance. It is a type of shaped carbon. Common specifications include 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm, 5.0mm, 6.0mm, 8.0mm, etc. According to the national standard “GB/T 32560-2016 Classification and Naming of Activated Carbon”, columnar activated carbon includes coal-based columnar activated carbon, wood-based columnar activated carbon, synthetic material columnar activated carbon, etc. Coal-based columnar activated carbon uses coal as the main raw material and is made by carbonization and activation; wood-based columnar activated carbon uses wood, sawdust, fruit shells, etc. as the main raw material and is made by carbonization and activation; synthetic material columnar activated carbon is made from synthetic resins and copolymers, etc. It is the main raw material and is synthesized through pyrolysis and activation. Among them, coal-based columnar activated carbon has the largest output.

Pillar activated carbon is mainly used in desulfurization and denitrification treatment, water treatment, waste gas treatment, solvent recovery and other scenarios. The domestic metallurgy, chemical, and coal industries are developing well, and the gases emitted during the production process in the metallurgy, chemical, and coal fields contain a lot of sulfur, nitrate, and other pollutants, which cause greater environmental pollution. In the context of tightening environmental protection and increasing environmental awareness, Desulfurization and denitrification treatment in chemical industry, metallurgy, coal and other fields have become the most widely used scenarios for columnar activated carbon. In addition, in recent years, domestic environmental protection policies have become stricter and have put forward strict requirements for tail gas emissions, sewage discharge, etc., which is conducive to the continued increase in demand for columnar activated carbon products with strong adsorption capacity, low cost and easy regeneration.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Development Prospects Report of China’s Pillar Activated Carbon Industry 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center, in 2022, China’s columnar activated carbon industry demand is 290,600 tons, with a growth rate of 3.8%.

China is currently the largest producer and exporter of columnar activated carbon in the world. There are a large number of domestic columnar activated carbon companies with rich product varieties. As the application fields of columnar activated carbon in my country continue to expand, columnar activated carbon production companies are also gradually expanding their production scale. The production technology level of columnar activated carbon is also constantly improving. However, from the perspective of industrial structure, most columnar activated carbon factories in my country are small enterprises with an annual output of several hundred tons to thousands of tons. There are not many enterprises with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons, and the products are highly homogeneous. Market competition is fierce, and companies are mainly concentrated in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province, which are rich in coal resources, such as Ningxia Huahui Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Ningxia Jinbaoxing Activated Carbon Co., Ltd., Jinkong Coal Jinding Activated Carbon Shanxi Co., Ltd., etc.

It is expected that in the future, attracted by the continued increase in downstream market demand, the number of companies in China’s columnar activated carbon industry may continue to increase. However, as the industry continues to develop, competition in China’s columnar activated carbon industry will gradually shift from a single competition based on product price to a competition based on brand, network, Comprehensive level competition in services, talents and management, and enterprise scale. At that time, large-scale enterprises will continue to increase investment, develop high value-added products, expand production scale, and improve themselves by relying on their advantages in technological innovation, channel construction, etc. The market competitiveness of China’s columnar activated carbon industry is gradually annexing the market share of small and medium-sized enterprises, and the market concentration of China’s columnar activated carbon industry is expected to increase.