Ethanol plant purchases boost thermal oxidizer market

Sales of thermal and catalytic oxidizers are looking up thanks to a booming ethanol market.  Sales this year of thermal oxidizers, regenerative thermal oxidizers, and catalytic oxidizers will be $1.6 billion and will rise to $1.8 billion in 2008.  These are the predictions of the McIlvaine Company in its continually updated online Thermal/Catalytic World Air Pollution Markets.

While the market for treatment of solvents from surface coating has slumped, the market for oxidizers to purify off gases in ethanol plants is booming.  Ethanol is becoming the gasoline additive of choice.  General Motors is touting the advantages of this corn-based fuel and, as part of its ethanol push, GM is providing 28 state governments, including Arizona's, with Chevrolet Avalanche demonstration vehicles that are equipped to run on a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

 

Some members of Congress are looking to further boost the ethanol industry by pushing for a Renewable Fuels Standard provision that would set a five billion gallon a year goal for ethanol use by 2012.

The market is big worldwide.  Brazilian state run oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras), plans to invest $330 million in logistics required to export 8 billion liters of ethanol annually from 2010.

The early ethanol plants were installed without air pollution control equipment.  But concern about VOC emissions and odors has insured that existing plants will be retrofitted and new plants fitted with efficient regenerative or other types of thermal oxidizers.  The combined new and retrofit market is for hundreds of oxidizers in the U.S. over the next few years and substantial numbers off shore.

While the market for oxidizers to purify gases from new plants has steadily increased, there has been a significant reduction in the retrofit market throughout the late 1990s in the U.S. and Europe.  Now new MACT standards in the U.S. and European Union rules on VOCs are providing some revitalization of the retrofit market.

The big growth area for oxidizers is in China.  The country is addressing its pollution problems in the same order as did the U.S.  SO₂, and particulate are the high priority targets but there is increasing focus on VOCs.  As a result, China will be a big growth market for oxidizers.  By 2008 sales will exceed $200 million.  The chemical and refining industries will be big purchasers.

For more information on Thermal/Catalytic World Air Pollution Markets, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/air.html#N007 or contact:

McIlvaine Company; 191 Waukegan Road – Suite 208; Northfield, IL 60093; Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax: 847-784-0061; E-mail: editor@mcilvainecompany.com www.mcilvainecompany.com