Specialty Carbon Black Market Growth & Trends

The global specialty carbon black market size is projected to reach USD 4.0 billion by 2027 registering a CAGR of 8.9%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing use of the product in photographic containers, agriculture mulch film, stretch wrap, industrial bags, refuse sacks, thermoplastic molding applications for electrical/electronics, household appliances, automotive, and blow-molded containers is estimated to contribute to the market growth. Specialty carbon black and graphite powders are used as additives in the electrode to improve the electrical conductivity in lithium-ion batteries.

It exhibits superior properties, such as good electrical conductivity, good stability at higher voltage, less solvent, and improves adhesion. It has a wide range of applications, such as micro-hybrid vehicles, grid storage, telecom, E-bike, and mild hybrid vehicle. It provides conductive and electrical antistatic properties to many plastics products ranging from insulation material to highly conductive areas. Lithium-ion batteries encompass cathode constituents, which allow the flow of electrons, to charge the battery. By totaling the percentage of specialty carbon black in lithium-ion batteries to 20%, which leads to the charging of cathode particles more rapidly concerning the uniform carbon connectivity with s high ratio of carbon black.

The product is mainly formulated through five main processes including furnace black, channel process, lamp black, thermal black, and acetylene black process. In all these processes, raw material differs from petroleum or coal oil to natural gas and acetylene gas. Product manufacturing in North America is mainly reliant on natural gas, which is accessible at a comparatively low cost in that region. Fluctuation in crude oil prices is because of seasonal variations, supply-demand imbalances, and political instability. Worldwide crude oil prices have been observing austere fluctuations in the recent past.

Social disturbance in key crude oil manufacturing regions including Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, and Libya have negatively impacted the crude oil supply, thus generating inelasticity in supply and demand balance. These factors are short-lived in the market causing immediate fall and rise in prices. However, major market players are initiating strategic alliances and increasing their production capacities to meet rising global demand and utilize low feedstock costs over recent years.

Specialty Carbon Black Market Report Highlights

  • Conductive carbon black grade is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 5.8%, in terms of volume, from 2020 to 2027
  • This growth is attributed to their increasing demand in the manufacturing of cost-efficient electrically conductive plastic compounds
  • Food contact grade is also expected to register a high growth rate, in terms of volume, from 2020 to 2027 due to their increasing usage in packaging, films & sheets, and plastic molded goods in the food industry globally
  • Asia Pacific is projected to reflect the fastest growth rate of 6.4%, in terms of volume, from 2020 to 2027
  • High demand for conductive polymers in applications including capacitors, textiles, actuators, batteries, solar cells, and sensors across countries, such as China, South Korea, and India, is estimated to drive the market in the Asia Pacific
  • Multinational chemical companies, such as Evonik Industries, Sid Richardson, and Mitsubishi, are integrated throughout the value chain from feedstock manufacturing to carbon black production