The Freedonia Group says that the high rate of growth will be due to regulatory changes in the US, China’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) to improve water and air quality in the nation, and expanding production of edible oils, beverages, and sweeteners in much of the rest of the world.
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-of-use 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.
