Asia Pacific Activated Carbon Fiber (ACF) Market size surpassed USD 234 million in 2020 and is set to observe around 7% growth rate from 2021 to 2027.

Rapid investment in water treatment project coupled with increased demand for residential and commercial buildings is likely to drive the Asia Pacific activated carbon fiber market. Activated carbon fibers have the capability to remove impurities from industrial and commercial scale water filtration projects as well as smaller scale residential or apartment applications. Activated carbon fiber is replacing granular activated carbon due to better intraparticle adsorption kinetics. Also, activated carbon fiber can generate a more uniform pore structure compared to other forms of ACs. The new technology has been developed to manufacture activated carbon from Lignite material.

Asia Pacific Market, By Application

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APAC countries are becoming a manufacturing hub for electronics, chemical, and pharma industries, rapidly increasing air and water pollution compared to other regions. The air purification application segment will register a growth of 7.3% during the forecast timeframe. Additionally, China, Japan, and India are primarily contributing to activated carbon fiber market demand due to rising health concerns and strict government policies in the region.

Strict government policies for vehicle emission across the globe and advancement of ACF filters help to drive the demand for ACF in air purification applications. The automobile industry is showcasing massive growth in the developing economies. Further, starting of new passenger car production factories in the APAC region along with rising consumer spending capacity and improved standard of living is supporting the demand for passenger car air purifying filter.

The catalyst carrier segment in the Asia Pacific activated carbon fiber (ACF) market is likely to grow significantly over the coming years. Compared to granular activated carbon, ACF has higher adsorption rate and larger capacity. ACF is applied as an adsorbent and used as a catalyst for a limited number of reactions and as a catalyst carrier. Most of the chemical manufacturing processes need a catalyst, making them significant in the chemical sector. Industrial development coupled with rising fuel and environmental regulations and efficient utilization of raw materials continues to propel catalyst demand for chemical reactions. ACF demand is increasing rapidly due to large and optimal pore volume distribution, which enables the adsorption of unwanted by-products and easy recovery of metals by burning the carbon.

Asia Pacific Market, By Application

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The polyacrylonitrile segment dominated 30.4% Asia Pacific activated carbon fiber market share in 2020. Due to unique properties of polyacrylonitrile, it has become an essential polymer and preferred material compared to others. Activated carbon fibers based on polyacrylonitrile are produces with the idea of increasing their efficiency and potential in industrial applications. The usage of PAN-based ACF in several water treatment projects in Asia Pacific along with the usage of materials for a wide range of applications, including catalysts, capacitor, and refrigeration, is propelling the material demand. Furthermore, key features and properties, such as thermal stability, low density, modulus of elasticity, and high strength, will boost the demand for polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fiber.

The increasing usage of activated carbon fibers in solvent and chemical recovery applications is a major driving factor for the market. Strict government laws in the chemical industry and the evolution of equipment for several solvent recovery over the years have developed the demand for activated carbon fiber products. Several organic solvents, such as ketone, lipid, alcohol, benzene, and others, can be absorbed by activated carbon fiber and it can be recycled later. The growing chemical sector in the APAC and demand for environment protection equipment will boost the segment growth.

Competitive Industry Landscape

Prominent activated carbon fiber (ACF) market players operating across APAC region are Awa Paper & Technological Company, Anshan Sinocarb Carbon Fibers, Evertech Envisafe Ecology, Hangzhou Nature Technology, Gun Ei Chemical Industry, Jiangsu Tongkang Activated Carbon Fiber, Jiangsu Sutong Carbon Fiber, Kuraray, MC Evolve Technologies Corporation, Osaka Gas Chemical, Toyobo, and Unitika, among others.