China is world’s largest purchaser of air pollution control equipment

China will purchase more air pollution control equipment than any other country next year.  The McIlvaine Company has online market reports which continuously forecast present and future purchases.  The following forecasts are purchases in millions of dollars for 2005 in China:

Power plant flue gas desulfurization systems:                 $3,000

Denitrification equipment for all industries                      $   480

Industrial scrubbers, adsorbers, and biofilters                $   820

Electrostatic precipitators                                              $1,000

Fabric filters                                                                  $  850

Thermal treatment                                                          $  190

Total                                                                            $6,340

China has severe acid rain problems.  This is a result of sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants.  The problem promises to worsen given the electricity shortages and the accelerating program to build new coal-fired generators.  A massive effort has been undertaken to build flue gas desulfurization systems for new as well as existing facilities in critical areas.

The market for scrubbers for steel mills, foundries, pulp mills, and chemical plants has expanded rapidly due to expansion of the polluting industries, but also to more stringent regulations for polluters.  Recently, a number of wastewater treatment plants have been equipped with odor control scrubbers.

One of the biggest markets for thermal treatment equipment is the petroleum refining industry.  The chemical industry is also a growing market for catalytic and regenerative thermal oxidizers.  Use of thermal treatment equipment in the printing and fabric coating industries is not as prevalent as in the most developed countries.

China is not only the largest purchaser of electrostatic precipitators it is also the world’s largest supplier of this equipment.  Electrostatic precipitators presently treat over 840 million ft³ of exhaust gas per minute emitted from power plant stacks.  A large number of precipitators are installed on cement kilns.  The metal and mining industries are also large purchasers.

The market for fabric filters (dust collectors or bag filters) is the fastest growing market. This is due to the replacement of electrostatic precipitators with fabric filters on some power plants.  Orders have been placed for systems to handle nearly 30 million ft³/minute for power plant use.  Nearly 40 percent of the world’s cement is produced in China.  More than 60 percent of the cement kilns now use fabric filters for this application.  More than 70 percent of the metal furnaces in the country are now equipped with fabric filters.

International suppliers of bags and roll goods now have facilities in China.  Lantor, BWF, and GE/BHA all have manufacturing facilities in the country.  U.S., German, and Japanese suppliers of flue gas desulfurization systems and their partners have received most of the orders for flue gas desulfurization systems.

The McIlvaine Company market reports in each of these areas are described at www.mcilvainecompany.com .

Bob McIlvaine

847-784-0012

rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com