Market Overview:
Recovered carbon black (rCB) is a form of recycled carbon black produced from waste tyres and other rubber products. It is used in the production of various rubber goods and applications such as tires, mechanical rubber goods, and others.
Market Dynamics:
Two major drivers aiding the growth of recovered carbon black market are rising concerns over environmental pollution and stringent regulations regarding carbon emissions. Growing automotive industry worldwide has substantially increased the volume of discarded tires, which serves as a key source for recovered carbon black production. Various countries have implemented regulations banning the use of certain types of carbon black and enforcing the use of recovered carbon black to reduce carbon footprint. Also, recovered carbon black offers comparable quality and performance to that of virgin carbon black at a lower cost. This is encouraging manufacturers to increase reliance on rCB over conventional carbon black.
Major Driver: Increasing demand for carbon black from the tire industry
The tire industry accounts for around 70% of the total recovered carbon black demand globally. With rapid growth in the automotive industry, especially in emerging economies such as China and India, the demand for tires has increased significantly over the past few years. Recovered carbon black finds wide application in tire manufacturing due to its comparable physical and chemical properties to virgin carbon black. It can replace up to 30% of virgin carbon black content in tires. The demand for recovered carbon black from tire manufacturers is expected to continue rising with growing vehicles production and sales around the world.
Major Driver: Stringent environmental regulations regarding carbon emissions
Burning of used tires and other rubber products results in the release of various air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the environment. Many governments and regulatory bodies across major economies have imposed strict regulations targeting reduction of carbon footprint from such uncontrolled burning. Recovered carbon black production involves recycling of carbon content from old tires and rubber goods in an environmentally-controlled process, thereby minimizing air pollution. The end-product, recovered carbon black, also has a lower carbon footprint than virgin carbon black. Such companies are now under legal obligation to use recovered carbon black in their operations where possible. This is a major factor driving its higher demand.
Major Restraint: High costs associated with recovered carbon black production
While recovered carbon black yields environmental benefits, its production process entails higher costs compared to virgin carbon black. The expenses involved in collection, sorting, preprocessing and refining of used tires add to its overall manufacturing costs. Also, the capital expenditure required for setting up recovered carbon black plants is significant. These financial challenges pose a restrain to widespread adoption of this material. Many buyers prefer cheaper virgin carbon black if not mandated otherwise by regulations. Cost optimization through economies of scale and technological advancements is critical to overcoming this restraint.
Major Opportunity: Increasing requirement in non-tire rubber goods
Though the tire industry dominates its consumption currently, recovered carbon black holds promising growth opportunities in other rubber product domains as well. Rubber materials find diverse applications across industries like automobile interior exterior parts, wires cables, hoses belts, footwear, flooring, seals gaskets, and more. With growing preference for green and recycled materials, demand for recovered carbon black is rising from these non-tire sectors. Its novel properties provide functional benefits in products. If large buyers from these industries incorporate recovered carbon black in their materials, itsaddressable market scope will increase multifold in the coming years.
Major Trend: Advancements in carbon black recovery technologies
Continuous innovations are taking place to develop improved and cost-effective methods for recycling carbon content from end-of-life rubber products. New pretreatment and separation techniques enhance recovered carbon black yield and quality. Novel thermal cracking and refining mechanisms optimize energy usage. Adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies like IoT, AI, big data for predictive maintenance and process optimization helps recovered carbon black plants achieve higher efficiencies. Some pioneering companies even utilize carbon dioxide from flue gases to synthesize carbon black, creating a carbon negative footprint. As newer, greener technologies become commercially viable, production costs will reduce, driving the recovered carbon black industry to its next phase of growth.
