An Incisive, In-depth Analysis on the Sulfuric Acid Market
This study offers a comprehensive, 360 degree analysis on the Sulfuric Acid market, bringing to fore insights that can help stakeholders identify the opportunities as well as challenges. It tracks the global Sulfuric Acid market across key regions, and offers in-depth commentary and accurate quantitative insights. The study also includes incisive competitive landscape analysis, and provides key recommendations to market players on winning imperatives and successful strategies.
Leading suppliers of sulfuric acid are channelizing efforts towards developing partnerships with end users, such as fertilizer manufacturers, in order to better address the demand and specific requirements. A majority of the global sulfuric acid output is obtained as a by-product from refining of mining minerals. Efforts are being put on the part of mining companies towards improving efficiency to increase production as well as reduce the overall operational cost and increasing profitability during the times of lower selling prices.
At present, Canada is one of the major exporters of sulfuric acid to the United States. Globally, oil and gas are prominent sources used for the production of sulfuric acid, which are mainly supplied by the Middle East region. The growing demand for sulfuric acid and increasing production in Middle East region by key players will lead to stiff competition in the domestic market. This intense competition between key players is expected to pose significant challenges in the domestic sulfuric acid market in North America.
Chemicals and fertilizers is expected to stay on the vanguard in terms of use of sulfuric acid
Canada and the U.S. are the third and seventh largest consumers of crop nutrients in the world. In 2014, total arable land in the U.S. and Canada was over 380 million acres and 113 million acres, respectively. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the consumption of fertilizers in North America increased from 23.9 Mn MT to 25.2 Mn MT between 2014 and 2015. North America is the largest consumer of fertilizers. Thus, any increase in the consumption of fertilizers is, in turn, expected to drive the demand for sulfuric acid over the forecast period. The case is similar with Latin America, in Brazil and Argentina where the agricultural land is available in plenty. The use of fertilizers has also taken a significant surge in the region. Thereby, fertilizer manufacturers are channelizing efforts to cater to the increasing demand for phosphate fertilizers, which, in turn, has resulted in an increase in the demand for sulfuric acid. This is subsequently expected to drive the growth of the sulfuric acid market over the forecast period.
Metal processing industry to closely trail chemicals and fertilizers industry in terms of use of sulfuric acid
In APEJ or Asia Pacific excluding Japan, China dominates the copper and zinc metal markets in terms of production. For instance, in 2015, production of copper in China was around 1.7 Mn MT whereas zinc was around 4.3 Mn MT through mines. High production capacity of copper and zinc metal in the APEJ region coupled with rising demand from end-use industries is, in turn, expected to lead to an increase in production through the mining of these metals. Production of metals from their ores requires significant amounts of sulfuric acid, which is consequently expected to drive the demand for sulfuric acid. Owing to the aforesaid factors, the demand for sulfuric acid is expected to increase exponentially over the coming years across the globe. Other end-use industries are also increasing their consumption of sulfuric acid owing to its versatile characteristics.
Global Chemicals and Materials Industry Outlook along with an Overview of the Global Sulfuric Acid Market
Recycle and reuse practices are impacting the sales of virgin materials, resulting into lesser dependency on volume-driven growth. New materials are showcasing potential for driving value-based growth, but chemical companies are still some time away from achieving voluminous production, while maintaining high quality at the same time. Barring few exceptions, a majority of players are still prioritizing short-term volume growth over long-term value growth. Pressure on improving bottom-line is influencing manufacturers to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. The impact of value-driven growth may not be visible in the short-term, but long-term outlook remains in favor of a balanced approach between value and volume.
Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to incorporate digital solutions in their offerings. Forward-thinking manufacturers are investing in technology to reduce human interference and streamline key operational aspects such as ordering and shipping. Resonating its influence over every industry, Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to transform and disrupt the chemical sector. Connectivity through IoT devices is gaining traction, whereas product-level sensors on dispensing equipment and barrels are helping manufacturers track their consignments digitally. Through assessment of long-term benefits, chemical companies are capitalizing on digitization by adopting digital platforms & processes that eliminate human error in profit-associated operations.
Manufacturers continue seeking low-priced feedstock in a bid to marginally reduce pre-production costs. Industry leaders are joining forces to replace fossil fuel-derived feedstock with bio-based alternatives. However, concerns related to producing affordable and sustainable feedstock at mass scale remains a challenge. Access to quality and affordable feedstock will continue to remain a focus area for manufacturers. Chemical manufacturing processes are running on limited energy, while volume of feedstock is getting stranded at ports as disapproval from import authorities keeps disrupting supply chains in sectors, such as oleochemicals and petrochemicals industries.
Chemical manufacturers have promised support and adherence to governments & regional authorities that are committing towards green, sustainable initiatives. Development of bio-alternatives is gaining momentum. Research & academic institutes are teaming up with manufacturers to formulate sustainable substitutes for commonly-used chemical substrates. Many companies are keeping a close eye on advancements in “green chemistry.” Shift towards eco-friendly chemicals will gain momentum in the future on the back of government regulations and end-user preference. Rising costs of fossil fuels will also instrument the upsurge for sustainable chemicals manufacturing.
List of factors tracked in the Chemicals and Materials Market Report
- Chemical Industry Value Add
- Chemical Sales
- Per Capita Consumption
- Standard Capacity Factors
- Plastics Consumption Outlook
- Glass Consumption Outlook
- Policies and Regulations
- Historical growth of top players
- Growth in associated markets
- Net trade scenario
- Apparent production capacity
Research Methodology
FMI utilizes robust methodology and approach to arrive at market size and related projections. The research methodology for this report is based on 3 dimensional model. We conduct about 45-60 min duration detailed interviews with product manufacturers; apart from this we also collect market feedback from industry experts. To validate this data, we interact with senior panel members having more than 10 years of experience in relevant field. The panel members help in validating the findings and fill the gaps if any. In addition, we leverage on our existing pool of information, paid database and other valid information sources available in public domain. Usually industry interactions extend to more than 50+ interviews from market participants across the value chain.
Data Collection
FMI collects data from secondary sources including company annual reports, association publications, industry presentations, white papers, and company press releases apart from these we leverage over paid database subscriptions and industry magazines to collect market information and developments in exhaustive manner. After being done with desk research, detailed questionnaire and discussion guide is formulated to initiate primary research with key industry personnel; the discussion aims at collecting key insights, growth perspectives, prevalent market trends and quantitative insights including market size and competition developments. Both of these research approaches help us in arriving at base year numbers and market hypothesis.
Data Validation
In this phase, FMI validates the data using macro and micro economic factors. For instance, growth in electricity consumption, industry value added, other industry factors, economic performance, growth of top players and sector performance is closely studied to arrive at precise estimates and refine anomalies if any.
Data Analysis and Projection
Data analysis and projections were made based on proprietary research frameworks and statistical analysis, which was further validated from industry participants. These frameworks include Y-o-Y growth projections, macro-economic factor performance, market attractiveness analysis, key financial ratios, and others.
For public companies we capture the data from company website, annual reports, investor presentations, paid databases. While for privately held companies, we try to gather information from the paid databases (like Factiva) and based on the information we gather from databases we estimate revenue for the companies. In addition, the team tries to establish primary contact with the companies in order to validate the assumptions or to gather quality inputs.
Standard Report Structure
- Executive Summary
- Market Definition
- Macro-economic analysis
- Parent Market Analysis
- Market Overview
- Forecast Factors
- Segmental Analysis and Forecast
- Regional Analysis
- Competition Analysis
Market Taxonomy
The global sulfuric acid market has been segmented into:
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