Activated Carbon    

*Millions of pounds per year. Activated carbon (AC), an amorphous form of elemental carbon, may be produced by destructive distillation of a variety of raw materials, including wood, coal and coconut shells.

Calgon Carbon has additional plants in Neville Island, Penn. and Pearlington, Miss. where activated carbons are reactivated from spent material. Additional regeneration plants are operated by Barnebey Sutcliffe at Columbus, Ohio; Envirotrol at Darlington, Penn. and Sewickley, Penn.; NORIT Americas at Pryor, Okla.; and USFilter Westates Carbon at Red Bluff, Calif. and Parker, Ariz. The aggregate carbon reactivation capacity is estimated at 100 million to 130 million pounds annually.

Mead Corp. and Westvaco Corp. merged in 2001 to form MeadWestvaco Corporation. The AC plants in Covington, Va. and Wickliffe, Ky. were originally part of Westvaco’s operations.

Barnebey & Sutcliffe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Waterlink, Inc. (Canton, Ohio), acquired in 1998.

Profile last published 4/9/01; this revision 12/22/03.

DEMAND

2001: 342 million pounds; 2002: 351 million pounds; 2006: 395 million pounds, projected. Demand equals production plus imports (2001: 106 million pounds; 2002: 117 million pounds) less exports (2001: 104 million pounds; 2002: 108 million pounds).

GROWTH

Historical (1997 - 2002): -0.9 (negative) percent per year; future: 3.0 percent per year through 2004.

PRICE

Historical (1997 - 2002): High, $1.15 per pound, gran., bulk; low, $1.05, same basis; Current: $1.15, same basis.

USES

Liquid phase applications, 79 percent of total AC: potable water, 37 percent; industrial and municipal wastewater, 21 percent; sweetener decolorization, 10 percent; groundwater, 8 percent; household uses, 6 percent; food and beverage, 5 percent; mining, 4 percent; pharmaceuticals, 3 percent; miscellaneous, including chemical processing, 6 percent.

Gas phase applications, 21 percent of total AC: air purification, 40 percent; automotive emission control, 21 percent; solvent vapor recovery, 12 percent; cigarette filter medium, 8 percent; miscellaneous, 19 percent.

STRENGTH

Activated carbon has been used for many years to adsorb compounds causing an unpleasant taste and odor sometimes found in drinking water systems.  In addition to use in taste- and odor-causing contaminant control, the use of activated carbon is encouraged by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs for removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) and volatile synthetic organic chemicals (VOCs). THMs such as chloroform, which is a suspected carcinogen, are formed from the interaction of chlorine with natural organic materials found in raw water. 

Potable water currently is the largest end-use market for activated carbon, accounting for 101 million pounds or 37 percent of total consumption of liquid-phase applications in 2002. Demand for activated carbon in public service water is expected to grow at approximately 4.5 percent annually.

In 2002, gas-phase applications of activated carbon accounted for 75 million pounds or 21 percent of total activated carbon consumed in the United States. End-use applications such as solvent recovery and air purification are benefiting from stricter environmental regulations (such as the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990) and increased indoor air quality issues in both residential and commercial environments. Activated carbon use in automotive emission canisters is also benefiting from environmental legislation. Overall, total consumption of activated carbon in gas-phase applications should grow at an average annual rate of 3.5 percent through 2006.

WEAKNESS

Alternative systems may be more cost-effective in some environmentally driven applications than those using activated carbon. Continued emphasis by the EPA and industry toward preventing generated waste, rather than "end-of-pipe" solutions, is one limiting concern. AC’s market segments without environmental connections are growing at less than GDP, in the range of 0 to 3 percent.

OUTLOOK

Activated carbon is expected to grow in the U.S. at approximately 3 percent annually over the forecasted period to 2006, mostly driven by environmental considerations. Large underutilized capacity overseas will provide a ready supply of potential imports which will tend to limit price increases for most grades. Manufacturers meanwhile are developing specialized products, which offer higher user value and sell for premium price.

HISTORICAL DATA