Global Refining Catalyst Market 2016-2020

This industry research report identifies Albemarle, BASF, Honeywell, Shell, and W. R. Grace as the key vendors in the global refining catalyst market. This report also presents a competitive analysis of the market by process (FCC catalysts, alkylation catalysts, hydrotreating catalysts, hydrocracking catalysts, and catalytic reforming), by type (zeolites, metals, and chemical compounds), and by geography (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA).

Overview of the global refining catalyst market

Market research analysts at Technavio have predicted that the global refining catalyst market will grow steadily at a CAGR of more than 3% by 2020. This market research analysis identifies the upgradation of existing low NCI refineries as one of the primary factors for the growth of this market. Several refineries across the globe have low Nelson Complexity Indices (NCI) which is defined as a measurement of the secondary conversion capacity vs. primary distillation capacity of any refinery. NCI indicates the capability of a refinery to produce higher amounts of the desired refined products. Several refineries do not have secondary distillation processes, and their NCI is low which indicates that the refineries can produce refined products only from the primary distillation process. Refiners have started upgrading their low NCI units by adding secondary distillation processes such as cokers and visbreakers. Moreover, the advent of light tight oil and condensates will induce refiners to set up splitters to enable the separation of the light and heavy distillates. These capacity additions are much economical than constructing new refineries and will drive the demand for refining catalysts in the next four years.

APAC will be the major contributor to the market throughout the predicted period and will account for about 41% of the total revenue shares by 2020. This attributes to a number of new capacity additions and expansions or upgradation of existing refineries. The huge domestic demand for refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel from countries registering healthy GDP growth rates such as India and China will augment tot growth of the market in this region.

Competitive landscape and key vendors

The market is characterized by the presence of large and medium-sized suppliers and multinational companies. Since all vendors offer products that cater to the needs of the five major refining processes, the market appears to be highly competitive. The multinational catalyst manufacturing companies have sufficient funds to carry out research activities and also introduce new products, which makes it difficult for small vendors to enter the market. Also, well-established catalyst manufacturers have efficient supply chains in all geographical regions and result in gaining a better revenue share than the regional vendors.

The leading vendors in the market are -

• Albemarle
• BASF
• Honeywell
• Shell
• W. R. Grace

The other prominent vendors in the market are ExxonMobil, Dow Chemicals, DuPont, Sinopec, and Axens.

Segmentation by process and analysis of the refining catalyst market

• FCC catalysts
• Alkylation catalysts
• Hydrotreating catalysts
• Hydrocracking catalysts
• Catalytic reforming

Accounting for about 48% of the total share of the market, the FCC catalysts segment dominated the industry during 2015. FCC or fluidized catalytic cracking is one of the key processes in any refinery and is used in the cracking of crude oil. Catalysts play an important role as they selectively crack a certain portion of the feed and convert it into lighter products. As the FCC process cannot be replaced by any other process, this market segment will exhibit its dominance during the predicted period as well.

Segmentation by type and analysis of the refining catalyst market

• Zeolites
• Metals
• Chemical compounds

This market study estimates that the zeolites segment will account for about 46% shares of the global refining catalyst market by 2020 and will also dominate this market throughout the forecast period. Benefits such as high selectivity, high-temperature resistance, and less cost-consuming are major factors for the growth of the market. Zeolites are mainly used in processes that need to produce high-octane gasoline blending stock and are the preferred catalysts in FCC and hydrocracking.

Key questions answered in the report include

• What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2020?
• What are the key factors driving the global refining catalyst market?
• What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global refining catalyst market?
• What are the challenges to market growth?
• Who are the key vendors in the global refining catalyst market?
• What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global refining catalyst market?
• Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA.
• What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global refining catalyst market?

Technavio also offers customization on reports based on specific client requirement.

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