Middle East Activated Carbon Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Source, By Product (Powdered, Granular), By Application, By End-use (Water Treatment, Food & Beverages), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Report Overview

The Middle East activated carbon market was valued at USD 135.6 million in 2022 and is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2023 to 2030. This is attributable to the rising demand for activated carbon from various end-use industries such as water treatment, air purification, and food & beverage. Water treatment aims to eliminate industrial and municipal wastewater impurities and restore the natural quality of water. Activated carbon plays a key role in the removal of these impurities, such as pharmaceutical micropollutants, organic-chemical substances, and colorants. The increasing air pollution across the globe and growing inclination toward healthier lifestyles have increased the demand for air purifiers. Activated carbon plays a crucial role in the functioning of air purifiers as their pores are highly adsorbent due to which they adsorb different chemicals and odors present in the air.

The product is highly porous and has a complex structure of carbon atoms. It predominantly finds application in water treatment and sewage treatment industries. The efficiency of carbon black depends on its surface area, for instance, a larger internal surface area results in more efficiency of carbon black. The surface area depends on the number of pores present on the surface, the higher the number of pores larger the surface area. Activated carbon is mainly produced from various raw materials including wood, coconut shells, and coal.

Thus, the chemical and physical properties of the product vary based on the raw materials. The quality of the product is highly based on the raw materials utilized for manufacturing. The granular product produced from coal contains iron, whereas the product produced from wood contains calcium. Additionally, the coconut-based product has 2-4% ash, anthracite & bituminous have 5-15% ash, and wood contains 3-6% ash. Similarly, lignite has about 25-30% ash content. Activated carbon derived from wood has a high content of meso and macropores compared to coal and coconut shell-derived products.

Major cities in developed countries are involved in the generation of sewage wastewater due to both rural and urban development. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar are highly dependent on wastewater treatment. For instance, Qatar treats and reuses around 24% of freshwater every year. The sewage water mainly contains organic, inorganic, and biological pollutants. These pollutants are a potential cause of health & environmental pollution if disposed to land directly without any treatment. Treating these pollutants is the major driving factor for the market in the region.

Product Insights

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 51.8% in 2022. The high market share is attributed due to its unique pore structure, and high absorption properties. Powdered-based products majorly find their application in water treatment operations. With the increasing demand for water treatment activities across multiple emerging economies as well as developed economies, the need for powdered activated carbon is also observed to be gaining significant importance, not just for water treatment purposes, but also for the removal of organic chemicals from water as well as for odor and taste control. Rising wastewater treatment operations owing to stringent environment & wastewater treatment regulations are expected to aid the market in the Middle East.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is typically formulated from raw organic materials which include coal or coconut shells that are high in carbon content. GAC has regenerated properties which make them very popular over any other type of activated carbon; nonetheless, the iodine number of regenerated activated carbon decreases after regeneration. GAC finds its usage in air & water treatment plants used for municipal or environmental use, metal recovery, food & beverages, medical, industrial process, and mercury recovery.

Environmental concerns regarding water and air purification are presumed to aid the granular activated carbon market in the forecast period. Regulations & standards mandating industries to adopt environment-friendly techniques are presumed to assist market growth. Growing applications in industries such as food & beverage processing and pharmaceutical & medical are projected to aid the market in the near future. In addition, applications in the automotive industry are expected to witness brisk growth over the forecast period and are presumed to assist the market over the coming years in Middle East region.

Application Insights

The liquid phase segment dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 51.9% in 2022. This is attributed to the presence of numerous manufacturers offering activated carbon for liquid phase application. Companies such as Haycarb (Pvt) Ltd., offer granular-based products for liquid phase applications which includes water treatment and more. Furthermore, growing environmental concerns and regulations mandating companies to adopt environment-friendly water treatment techniques are expected to positively impact the market over the forecast period.

Gas phase application of activated carbon primarily includes air purification. Rising air purification application demand from domestic as well as commercial users is expected to aid the demand and offer ample opportunities for market growth. Rising utilization of the product in the automotive industry along with an increase in other sectors such as the food & beverage and pharmaceutical industries are expected to fuel the demand for the product in gas phase application.

End-use Insights

Water treatment end-use dominated the Middle East market with the highest revenue share of 27.7% in 2022. This is attributed to the rise in the use of the product for the filtration of drinking water and the treatment of water sources for industrial use since it adsorbs organic chemicals as well as flavors and odors. Activated carbon is essentially very porous and has a huge surface area for adsorbing pollutants. Due to these characteristics, activated carbon is now used for water treatment more frequently.

Within the food & beverage sector, the product is regarded as one of the essential elements in numerous processing verticals. For instance, activated carbon is widely employed in the brewing of beer, the creation of colorants, sweeteners, and lactic acid, and the processing of coffee and tea. In addition, the manufacturing of glycerin, wine, edible oils, gelatin, soft drinks, bottled water, fruit juices, and other products uses activated carbon extensively. The product is used in all of the above-mentioned items to remove impurities or pollutants such as color and odor from liquid food ingredients, sweeteners, drinks, syrups, glycerin, amino acids, and organic acids.

Applications for air purification in many different industries are anticipated to help the industry. Rising demand for air conditioners and air filters can be attributable to growing demand from both household and commercial applications. Furthermore, the market is anticipated to benefit from technological improvements, fast-expanding disposable income, and rising affordability to choose cleaner air over the forecast period. Moreover, increasing health concerns regarding respiratory diseases and growing health consciousness are other key factors driving the market in the region.

Source Insights

The coal-based source segment dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 39.1% in 2022. Its high share is attributable due to its micro, macro, and meso pore structures. The content of pores makes the product derived from coal most preferable for the removal of small and large molecular structures. Coal-based products majorly find their application in liquid & air phase applications for controlling odor, improving taste in liquids, and purification of water. These types of products are available in different forms such as pelletized, granular, and powder form. The hardness of coal-activated carbon is lesser than coconut-based products but more than that of wood-based

Owing to low ash content, natural pore structure, and high carbon content, coconut shells are considered for producing high-quality activated carbon. This type of product has very high hardness and is abrasion-resistant, which makes it the preferred type of product as compared to other types. Owing to high abrasion-resistance, coconut-based activated carbon supports various applications such as the recovery of gold and various other precious metals.

Activated carbon derived from coconut is considered the main source owing to small macropores, which are effective for the absorption of impurities, and is widely utilized in the purification of water. Such beneficial characteristics and the rise in the use of coconut-based products are expected to fuel market growth. As the world is increasingly focusing on a sustainable future and manufacturers are looking toward manufacturing products from natural methods, the coconut-based product is anticipated to gain demand.

Cashew nut shells (CNS)-based products are prepared by undertaking a physical activation process. This type of activated carbon strengthens the quality of products and reduces the impact of cashew nut processing industries on the environment. Cashew nut shell-based products are derived from the shell through a handed-rotary roaster at a temperature of 170°C. According to a publication on European Chemical Societies Publishing, activated carbon derived from cashew nutshell, has a honeycomb-like interconnected structure. These structural characteristics of cashew-based products assist in improving electrochemical efficiency, and rapid diffusion of electrolytes.

Regional Insights

Saudi Arabia dominated the Middle East market with the highest revenue share of 52.2% in 2022. This is attributed to the rise in demand for the product towards water treatment. The rise in demand for water to meet daily water demand due to scarcity of water, limited availability of natural water resources, and rise in a hot climate is expected to drive the demand for the product in Saudi Arabia.

UAE is highly dependent on its groundwater resource to meet its water demand. According to the Arab Countries Water Utility Association (ACWUA) report, despite water scarcity, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi has one of the highest per capita water consumption in the world. In addition, due to its rapid growth, Dubai is reaching the limits of its sewage treatment system. Activated carbon plays a crucial role in treating water as it can absorb organic chemicals. As a result, the rise in the number of water treatment plants for sewage water treatment is anticipated to drive the demand for the product in the country.

Oman is one of the fastest-growing automobile industries in the Middle East. The country is anticipated to be the emerging automotive hub in the region as it has low production costs of automobiles, ease of access to international routes, and convenience of entry into national and international markets for manufacturing automobiles. The rise in the number of automotive manufacturers in Oman is anticipated to drive the demand for the products used in air filtration systems to eliminate odor and ensure clean air inside vehicle cabins. The flourishing electric vehicles market in the country is also expected to surge the demand for the product in Oman in the coming years.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Key prominent companies dominate the market with their high-quality products, widespread geographical locations, and strong financial performance. The leading companies undertake various strategic decisions like acquisition, technological advancements, production capacity expansion, product launches, and partnerships in order to strengthen their dominance over the market. For instance, in August 2022, Chemviron announced the merger with Arq Limited, to produce higher-value activated carbon at Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc.’s Red River Plant. Some key players in the Middle East activated carbon market include:

• Albemarle Corporation

• Chemviron

• PURAGEN ACTIVATED CARBONS

• Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc.

• JACOBI CARBONS GROUP

• HAYCARB (PVT.) LTD

• Veolia

• Cabot Corporation

• Boyce Carbon

• KUREHA CORPORATION

• Calgon Carbon Corporation

Middle East Activated Carbon Market Report Scope

Middle East Activated Carbon Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at regional, and country levels and provides an analysis on the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the Middle East activated carbon market report based on product, source, application, end-use, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; Volume, Kilotons, 2018 - 2030)

  • Powdered

  • Granular

  • Others

• Source Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; Volume, Kilotons, 2018 - 2030)

  • Coconut

  • Nutshell

  • Coal

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; Volume, Kilotons, 2018 - 2030)

  • Liquid Phase

  • Gas Phase

• End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; Volume, Kilotons, 2018 - 2030)

  • Water Treatment

  • Food & Beverages

  • Pharmaceuticals & Medical

  • Automotive

  • Air Purification

  • Others           

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; Volume, Kilotons, 2018 - 2030)

  • Middle East

    • Saudi Arabia

    • Kuwait

    • UAE

    • Qatar

    • Bahrain

    • Oman