NOx control market to hit record level in 2011 – consultants
The market for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and replacement catalysts will reach a record $7.6 billion in 2011, according to the latest forecast from US-based consultancy McIlvaine Co.
Sales of systems are projected at $6.1 billion, the firm said. This includes the ammonia injection system, the catalyst, housing and all the ductwork and other components contracted with SCR system suppliers such as Babcock Power, Alstom, or Babcock & Wilcox.
Sales of catalysts are rising steadily, consultants noted, and should exceed $1.5 billion in 2011 mainly due to replacement needs.
The largest application is coal-fired boilers, where catalyst life is less than five years.
Gas turbines are another large application, where recently there has been a big market in the US for SCR systems for peaking turbines.
This has created a need for high-temperature catalysts, consultants said, adding that several catalyst suppliers have developed a product to meet that need.
However, many purchasers are avoiding the risk by using conventional catalyst and bleeding in air to reduce temperatures, the report notes.
The cement industry could be the next big target for NOx control, with some SCR systems installed on cement kilns in Europe and a number slated for future installation in the US. Waste incinerators and nitric acid plants are other applications. Biomass-fired boilers present problems because of the poisoning potential of constituents in the fuel.
Asia is the largest geographical market thanks to a major program in China to install SCR systems on new boilers and retrofit SCR on older boilers in the more populated areas, the consultancy said. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are also significant markets.
The market in the US is also quite active due to recent regulations, the report notes. It should grow further based on new ambient air quality rules, consultants said. These will force individual states to require NOx control not only on large coal-fired boilers but on industrial boilers as well.
In Europe, the biggest near-term potential is NOx control on lignite-fired boilers, which were not equipped with SCR originally due to lower NOx emissions and high costs. New EU regulations require the larger lignite-fired boilers to reduce NOx by 2016.
For more information on the report, click here.
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