Emission Control Catalysts – Market Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2014 - 2020

Emission control and reduction are one ofthe top prioritiesfor commercial, industrial, and government sector companies. Growing need forthe mitigation of ill effects of carbon emissions or pollution is leading to the adoption of new methods, technologies, materials, and processes by manufacturing and process industries. Emission control catalysts are used in catalytic convertors to reduce harmful emissions. A catalytic convertor houses a typical honeycomb structure coated with emission control catalysts such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Emission control catalysts can be segmented basedonapplications such as mobile and stationary.

The climate change threat is here and emission control is no longer a preventive measure but a way to salvage what we can to save planet Earth. From governments to companies, all are committing to net zero emission plans and implementing new mandates to ensure the reduction of emissions and greenhouse gases.

• In February 2023, the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, announced the country’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050 with the passage of the Climate Change Response Act that passed its third reading in January 2023. The country will be witnessing the implementation of stricter norms to control pollution and emissions as the standard for emission control increases.
• In January 2023, the Nigerian Federal Government announced that it would be focusing on reducing air pollution caused by the use of generators and vehicles in the country to improve the quality of air and curb emissions. The path of emission control and reduction is not a smooth one with breaches of laws and availability of products that allow the bypassing of emission control regulations. Increasing use of defeat devices in vehicles to bypass emission regulation checks is a major obstruction to the reduction of emissions.
• In March 2023, Mercedes Benz AG suffered a severe setback owing to a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which mandated compensation for buyers if defeat devices in diesel cars cause damage. The use of defeat devices in the automotive industry is a controversial subject that has been a trouble for emission regulators around the world.

Surging popularity of electric cars is expected to change the tide in favour of emission regulators to a certain extent; however, scepticism surrounding emissions associated with electricity production and EV manufacturing is still a huge concern for emission regulating bodies around the world.

Mobile applications include automotives; these catalysts are also called automotive catalysts.Stationary applications include thermal or conventional power plants and other industries. Mobile application is the largest segment of the emission control catalysts market due to increasing demand for light and heavy commercial vehicles across the globe. Catalytic convertors are majorly used in automotives, while stationary emission control systems use selective catalytic reduction, catalytic incineration, filters, and catalytic oxidation. Emission control catalysts or convertors are increasingly being used for NOx reduction from power plants, sulfur reduction, and removal of toxins from exhaust smoke.

Increasing automotive fleet and stringent environmental regulations are the major driving factors of the growth the emission control catalyst market. The global emission control catalysts market is expected to grow between 7% and 9% CAGR in the next five years. Major players include Johnson Matthey, BASF, Umicore, Faurecia andNett Technologies.