Activated Carbon Fiber (ACF) Market - By Material (Cellulose Based, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Based, Phenolic Resin Based, Pitch Based), By Application (Air Purification, Water Treatment, Chemical Recovery, Catalyst Carrier) & Global Forecast, 2023 – 2032

Activated Carbon Fiber Market Size

Activated Carbon Fiber Market size exceeded USD 1 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a 7% CAGR from 2023 to 2032. Stringent government regulations along with rising health concern among people will supplement market growth in water treatment applications.
 

The burgeoning need for wastewater treatment is set to drive product demand. The earth's declining water level, coupled with global industrialization, is escalating the need for water purification. Businesses and households that emit large amounts of polluted water containing dangerous solid, semisolid, liquid, or gaseous contaminants may have an adverse effect on the ecosystem, which is speculated to foster activated carbon fiber industry expansion.
 

High production costs may stimulate market expansion

The production of activated carbon is substantially more expensive than other microporous materials, which is restricting the use of activated carbon fibers. ACF processing involves multiple impregnation–carbonization cycles and techniques, such as chemical vapor infiltration for achieving appropriate densification and acceptable mechanical performances. The processing costs of ACF are a combination of fiber processing cost and activation cost, which is relatively higher as compared to other materials. Furthermore, the surging focus on the fabrication of economical carbon fiber from low-cost precursor elements is foreseen to support the activated carbon fiber market development.
 

Activated Carbon Fiber (ACF) Market Analysis

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based ACF will showcase significant growth owing to good tensile strength of the material. PAN is a synthetic thermoplastic semi-crystalline polymer. The production of PAN-based ACF comprises three steps, thermo-oxidative stabilization, carbonization, and controlled activation process. The material is largely used in applications including capacitor, catalyst, refiguration, and other applications. The rising demand for catalyst carriers coupled with ongoing developments in super capacitors will further impact the material demand.
 

The activated carbon fiber market from the air purification application segment generated more than USD 285 million in 2022. Air purification is showcasing considerable growth in the ACF market owing to stringent air pollution regulations adopted by several economies across the globe. The usage of ACF filters in passenger cars, roadside units, and other devices has resulted into excellent NO_x and other pollutant adsorption. The usage of TOYOBO K Filter as air purifying filters in passenger cars and launch of pilot air filtration projects in emerging economies, such as Indonesia, among others, are driving the segment growth.
 

North America activated carbon fiber market is poised to register nearly 7.5% gains from 2023 to 2032. A positive outlook of the chemical sector across the region will accelerate the ACF demand. Rising demand for chemical and solvent recovery equipment in the region coupled with the growing petroleum sector will further boost the market growth. The U.S. is one of the major consumers of ACF products across the globe. ACF products are mainly used for air purification and water treatment applications in the region. Additionally, the presence of several industry participants and the wide distribution network of several ACF manufacturers across the region are supporting the industry growth.
 

Activated Carbon Fiber Market Share

MC Evolve Technologies Corporation,

• Kuraray Co., Ltd.
• Toyobo Co., Ltd 
• Hangzhou Nature Technology Co., Ltd
• Awa Paper & Technological Company, Inc.
• HP Materials Solutions, Inc.
• Jiangsu Tongkang Activated Carbon Fiber Ltd.
• Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd
• OJSC – Open Joint Stock Company
• Unitika Ltd.,
• Anshan Sinocarb Carbon Fibers Co., Ltd. 
• Evertech Envisafe Ecology Co., Ltd
• Gun Ei Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
• Jiangsu Kejing Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd,
• Jiangsu Sutong Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd.

are some key enterprises operating in the activated carbon fiber market.
 

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted the global economy, mainly in regions with a high percentage of SMEs, as well as the production sector and the manufacturing supply chain. The disruption in production processes hampered the revenue growth of the activated carbon fiber  market. However, the need for activated carbon fiber saw a surge on account of its extensive usage in various products, particularly for disinfection during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been lucrative for business growth.
 

This activated carbon fiber market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of volume in tons and revenue in USD million from 2018 to 2032 for the following segments:

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By Material

• Cellulose based
• Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based
• Phenolic resin-based
• Pitch-based
• Others

By Application

• Air purification
• Water treatment
• Chemical recovery
• Catalyst carrier
• Others

The above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Russia
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
• Middle East & Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • South Africa