Market Overview

The market for calcium carbide is expected to witness a CAGR of around 3% during the forecast period. The major factors that are driving the growth of the market studied are increasing steel production across the world and increase in demand for chemical production.

  • On the flipside, detrimental health effects are expected to hinder the growth of the market.
  • By end-user industry, chemical industry accounted for the largest share, holding more than 70% of the total volume of the calcium carbide market.
  • Asia-Pacific dominated the market with China being the largest producer and consumer of calcium carbide globally.



Key Market Trends

Acetylene Gas Application to Dominate the Market

  • Acetylene gas is manufactured by reacting calcium carbide with water. It is a combustible gas with a distinctive odor. The gas becomes explosive when it is liquefied, compressed, heated, or mixed with air. For this reason, special precaution is taken while handling the gas.
  • One of the most extensive applications of acetylene gas is its use in the preparation of various organic chemicals. One such chemical is 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in the synthesis of polyurethane and polyester plastics. Bulk acetylene can also be used as a raw material to produce acetaldehyde, acetic anhydrite, and acetic acid.
  • Acetylene is also used for oxyacetylene cutting, wielding, and heat treating. Acetylene gas flame has the highest flame temperature among many common hydrocarbons because of the presence of triple bond structure. Combustion with oxygen results in flame temperature of 3090 ?C, releasing 54.8 kJ/liter (1470 BTUs/ft3 ) of energy.
  • Acetylene gas is also used for flame cleaning of sheet metal surfaces. By this process rust, mill scale and other scales are removed by low-cost flame cleaning. This also results in enhancing the corrosion resistance of the surfaces. For this reason, flame-cleaned surfaces ensure excellent adhesion of paints and coatings.
  • With the increasing demand for acetylene gas, the consumption of calcium carbide is projected to increase during the forecast period.



China to Dominate the Global Market

  • China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of calcium carbide. The country is the most dominant player in the market with more than 85% of the share.
  • As a result of its large reserves and growing demand for VCM (vinyl chloride monomer), VAM (vinyl acetate monomer), and BDO (butanediol) from acetylene, the consumption of calcium carbide is increasing at a yearly average rate of more than 8%.
  • Moreover, the country has the largest consumption of coal. Not only has it been used for power generation, but the Chinese have been using coal for chemical production for a long time. Since the late 19th century, coal tar has been in use for the synthesis aromatics and special chemical compounds, primarily for the dye industry.
  • Lately, the country has been using calcium carbide to convert coal to acetylene. This has led to the increased production of acrylonitrile (ACN), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), 1,4-butanediol (BDO), and acrylic acid (AA).
  • The conversion of CaC2 to poly vinyl chloride (PVC), represents over 80% of China’s total PVC production. Thus, the usage of calcium carbide is expected to play an important role as a raw material to produce acetylene-based chemicals, during the forecast period.
  • China is also the world’s largest exporter of calcium carbide. The country exports CaC2 to almost every neighboring countries as well as other major countries across the world, including Japan, Guinea, C?te d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, etc.
  • Although China’s economic growth s likely to become further moderate, it is expected that the demand for calcium carbide will continue to sustain healthy rates during the forecast period.



Competitive Landscape

The global calcium carbide market is segmented in nature, with intense competition among the top players to increase the shares in the market. The top 7 players account for around 25% of the global market share. China accounts for around 90% of the total production and consumption in the market studied. The major players in the market include Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co. Ltd, Xinjiang Tianye (Group) Co. Ltd, Ningxia Jinhaoyuan Chemical Group Co. Ltd, Inner Mongolia Baiyanhu Chemical Limited Liability Company, Denka Company Limited, Ningxia Yinglite Chemical Co. Ltd, and Xiahuayuan Xuguang Chemical Co. Ltd, among others.

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