INTRODUCTION
STUDY BACKGROUND
This report is an update of an earlier BCC report published in 2007. Meeting rising energy requirements and protecting the environment are among the most important applications of catalyst technology. Broadly speaking, a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by reducing the required activation energy, but which is left unchanged by the reaction.
The petroleum industry is the largest single user of catalysts, especially in producing refined products such as gasoline and diesel fuel. Catalysts also contribute to increasing the supply of petroleum by making it commercially possible to produce oil from sources once regarded as uneconomical, such as tar sands and heavy oil deposits. Catalysts are also being used to produce increasing quantities of synthetic oil and gas from coal and oil shale.
In addition to increasing supplies of naturally occurring and synthetic oil and gas, catalysts are in the forefront of technologies such as fuel cells and photovoltaic cells being developed to replace conventional fossil fuels. Catalysts also indirectly contribute to increasing energy supplies by increasing the efficiency with which hydrocarbon and other fuels are utilized.
Energy consumption is a major source of pollution (e.g., auto and industrial emissions), along with other waste-generating activities. Many people consider the prevention of global warming and other forms of environmental degradation to be a greater priority than increasing energy supplies.
Catalysts are indispensable to many types of environmental remediation, from vehicle emissions control systems to industrial effluent and municipal waste treatment. Catalysts also contribute indirectly to reducing pollution and other adverse environmental impacts, for example, through cleaner-burning fuels and the production of products such as refrigerants that pollute less than the substances they replace.
REPORT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of this report is to provide the reader with an up-to-date understanding of how catalysts contribute to meeting the energy needs of the U.S. and world economies while helping to prevent environmental degradation and remediating adverse environmental impacts as they occur. Specific objectives include the following:
- Characterizing the current energy and environmental catalyst market in quantitative as well as qualitative terms.
- Identifying segments of the energy and environmental markets with the greatest commercial potential in the near to mid-term (2010 to 2015).
- Identifying and, where possible, quantifying the major demand drivers of energy and environmental catalysts.
- Describing existing and new catalyst technologies under development to meet market requirements.
- Projecting future demand for different types of energy and environmental catalysts.
- Evaluating the technical and other challenges that must be overcome for the market to realize its full potential.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This report is intended especially for manufacturers and vendors of catalysts used in energy and environmental applications. Other readers who should find the report particularly useful include entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, and other readers with a need to know where these key segments of the catalyst market are headed over the next 5 years.
This report should also be of interest to end users such as motor vehicle manufacturers, whose technology road maps may make critical assumptions about the availability and performance of different types of catalysts. The same is true of government agencies and officials responsible for monitoring energy production, consumption, and pollution levels.
Other readers who should find the report particularly useful include members of technical and professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society. Finally, the report’s findings and conclusions should also be of interest to the nanotechnology community, including government nanotechnology programs such as the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, inasmuch as many of the most promising energy and environmental catalysts are nanocatalysts.
SCOPE OF REPORT
This report addresses the global market for energy and environmental catalysts, including catalysts used in the following:
- Production of crude oil and gas from nonconventional sources such as tar sands and heavy oil reservoirs
- Synfuels production (e.g., coal liquefaction/gasification, shale oil)
- Oil recycling
- Alternative fuels production (e.g., hydrogen)
- Other emerging energy technologies such as fuel cells and photovoltaic cells
- Increasing fuel efficiency (e.g., fuel additives that increase burn efficiency)
- Avoiding or reducing environmental damage
- Mitigating or remediating adverse environmental impacts after they occur.
This report also covers the market for catalysts used in petroleum refining. However, the market for refinery catalysts is covered in less detail because it is already analyzed in a separate BCC report, CHM027C—Petrochemical (Petroleum and Chemical) Catalysts.
The study is organized around the following major topics:
- Executive Summary
- Overview (definitions, history, market segmentation)
- Characteristics of energy and environmental catalysts (existing as well as under development)
- Current and potential catalyst applications in energy and environment
- Patent analysis
- Global market trends from 2009 to 2015
- Factors that will influence the long-term development of the market
- Industry structure and market shares.
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
The findings and conclusions of this report are based on information gathered from a cross-section of catalyst developers, manufacturers, distributors, end users, and other informed sources. Interview data were combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary sources, such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature, and online databases, to produce the baseline market estimates contained in this report.
With 2009 as a baseline, market projections for each market segment were developed for 2010 to 2015. The projections are based on a combination of a consensus among the primary contacts combined with our understanding of the key market drivers and their impact from a historical and analytical perspective. The analytical methodologies used to generate the market estimates are described in detail in the section on Detailed Market Projections.
All dollar projections presented in this report are in 2009 constant dollars.
ANALYST CREDENTIALS
Andrew McWilliams, the author of this report, is a partner in the Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm, 43rd Parallel LLC. He is also the author of numerous other BCC Research reports, including the previous edition of this report as well as: EGY055B—Building the Global Hydrogen Economy: Technologies and Opportunities, NAN044A—Nanotechnology in Energy Applications, EGY053B—Advanced Materials and Devices for Renewable Energy, ENV003C—U.S. Indoor Air Quality Market, EGY051A—Petroleum Fuel Optimization Technologies, NAN028A—Nanocatalysts, ENV006A—Global Markets for Hazardous Waste Remediation Technologies
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DISCLAIMER
The information developed in this report is intended to be as reliable as possible at the time of publication and of a professional nature. This information does not constitute managerial, legal, or accounting advice; nor should it serve as a corporate policy guide, laboratory manual, or an endorsement of any product, as much of the information is speculative in nature. The author assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage that might result from reliance on the reported information or its use.
Report Code: CHM020D, Published: June 2010, Analyst: Andrew McWilliams
