Catalyst Handling Services Market Size, Share, Industry, Forecast and Outlook (2024-2031)

Catalyst Handling Services Market is Segmented By Service (Catalyst Loading/Unloading, Catalyst Screening, Segregation & Storage, Catalyst Transport and handling, Spent Catalyst Handling, Others), By End-User (Refinery, Chemical and fertilizer, Petrochemical, Others), By Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) – Share, Size, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2023-2030

Catalyst Handling Services Market Size

The global catalyst handling services market reached USD 572.4 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 821.4 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period 2023-2030.

Catalyst handling services refer to the services used to carry catalysts directly from the grade to the reactor manway without the need for cranes or hoppers. Chemicals and fertilizers, petroleum refining, petrochemical, and other heavy industrial processing companies substantially use the services. Catalysts used in the oil refining and petrochemical sectors had an elementary life cycle until the 1970s: they were either utilized for one production cycle until their catalytic qualities were exhausted or used for a few cycles with some in-situ regeneration in between.

In recent years, the situation has changed as the industry has evolved to tolerate and prefer off-site regeneration of many catalysts, notably hydroprocessing catalysts. It is due to various factors, including increased safety and efficiency and greater catalyst activity recovery. Multiple services, including catalyst handling, have become available to help refiners manage their unit shutdowns and start-ups, and off-site regeneration. Furthermore, the disposal of spent catalysts is moving toward more environmentally friendly recycling solutions. In addition, the availability of catalyst services allows plant operators to look at their catalytic units in a more optimized way, best suited for their needs.

Catalyst Handling Services Market Scope

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Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2023)

Catalyst Handling Services Market Dynamics and Trends

The global catalyst handling services market is expected to boost the growing use of automation and robotics to perform time-consuming and dangerous tasks.

The growing use of automation and robotics for performing time-consuming and dangerous tasks

People spend around 10,000 hours unloading catalysts per year and work in an environment with the danger of disease, accidents, and fatalities in one incident. The market involves various safety hazards in the storage, loading, unloading, and disposal of these catalysts. The risks include handling self-healing materials, the presence of toxic metals (e.g., nickel, chromium, etc.), and hexavalent chromium. Automation has become a key contributor to the market and will continue to play an ever-expanding function in how catalyst handling unfolds.

Many catalyst applications necessitate complete catalyst containment and minimal worker exposure. The most significant danger of exposure occurs during the loading and unloading of the catalyst, which is a rather infrequent procedure performed by specialized catalyst-handling businesses. By developing a robot that can remove the catalyst, humans will no longer be required to enter an inert atmosphere.

Recently various automated robots have been launched in the catalyst-handling industry. For instance, Advisian Digital has partnered with USA DeBusk to achieve the first Catalyst Removal Amphirol launch in the U.S. for catalyst unloading from fixed bed refineries and petrochemical vessels. CAROL can reduce downtime during shift change and employee rotation because the robot requires no breaks to work around the clock.

Presence of strict regulations on the use and handling of the catalyst

In today's operating climate of improved attentiveness toward safety and environmental issues, catalyst management options have become essential for refiners. Several countries in Europe and North America have declared regulations regarding personnel safety involved in the operations. Due to their toxic nature, EPA has declared spent hydroprocessing catalysts as hazardous wastes and the refiners are experiencing pressure from environmental authorities to handle them safely. It has reduced the options for catalyst disposal to refiners and increased shipping and disposal costs.

Catalysts are chemicals and must comply with the European Chemicals legislation. Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals regulation sets out producers and importers' responsibilities to manage the risks posed by chemicals and provide appropriate safety information for their users. Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labeling, and packaging substances and mixtures (CLP) allows identifying hazardous chemicals.

COVID-19 Impact on Catalyst Handling Services Market

The catalyst-handling services market has witnessed positive growth in some regions due to rising demand from end-user industries. Nevertheless, despite the global economy's challenges as the pandemic persists, there may still be great opportunities for petrochemical projects in Asia. Despite some delays caused by the pandemic, most projects in Asia are moving forward, with around 22 million metric tonnes of new capacity expected to begin between 2020 and 2023. As the region's recovering economy spurs demand for consumer products and fuels, Asia's petrochemical industry will maintain its pre-pandemic boom. Expanding crude oil refining capacity in Asia, which is needed to meet the rising demand for consumer products and fuels, might be a major driver of petrochemical developments in the region.

Global refining capacity outweighed demand for refined oil products even before oil demand plummeted due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19. Even in China, refining capacity additions are outpacing demand growth. According to China National Petroleum Corporation, the country's oversupply of oil products is projected to reach 1.4 million barrels per day in 2025.

Catalyst Handling Services Market Segmentation Analysis

The global catalyst handling services market is segmented based on service, end-user, and region.

Companies emphasizing on perfect and safe loading of catalysts in refineries for improved results will boost the demand for catalyst-handling services

The global catalyst handling services market is segmented into the refinery, chemical & fertilizer, petrochemical, and others based on end-user.

The refining industry's economic climate is inherently competitive. As a result, refiners have always paid close attention to the performance of their process units and the energy shift has only increased the importance of this goal. The majority of process units employ high-priced advanced catalysts to boost performance. However, choosing the greatest catalysts may be pointless if they are not used effectively, which means perfect and safe loading in the case of fixed-bed reactors. It is commonly acknowledged that efficient catalyst loading improves the flow distribution inside the reactor, i.e., the contact between solid (i.e., the catalyst), liquid, and gas improving the process unit's performance. It also keeps the bed from settling, resulting in more reliable operations. Dense loading may allow for a 10% improvement in throughput at a constant reactor inlet temperature or a 10% reduction in fuel consumption by achieving the same performance level at a lower operating temperature.

Refineries replace catalysts regularly, either with new or regenerated used catalysts. Two or more catalysts are used in loading systems. The importance of selecting the proper catalyst cannot be overstated. It is directly related to the refinery's profitability and represents a huge opportunity to boost refining profits. It has a significant impact on daily operations as well as long-term planning. Such a decision will significantly impact the refinery's economics for hydrocrackers. Furthermore, catalyst loading is a substantial expenditure ($10-$20 million), which requires a careful examination of all available solutions.

Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2023)

Catalyst Handling Services Market Geographical Share

Rapid expansion in the refinery and petrochemical industry will boost the demand for catalyst-handling services in Asia-Pacific

Collectively India imported US$140.3 million of Catalyst from 26 countries in 2020-2021 (Apr-Nov) and USD 189.42 Million in 2018, which is up by 15.7% from the Catalyst imported into India in 2017. In 2017, 32 countries exported around 12,809,390 quantities of Catalyst to India, while in 2018, India's Catalyst import accounts for 13.603,400 quantities from 31 countries.

By 2025, India plans to increase its refining capacity by more than half, to 8 million barrels per day. According to industry consultancy Wood Mackenzie, Asia will add more than half of the refining capacity between 2019 and 2027, with 70% to 80% of that capacity concentrated on plastics. As a result, more ethylene capacity is likely to be added throughout Asia, particularly China, over the next decade.

The world's largest trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, was recently signed by China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the ten ASEAN countries. It aims to encourage companies to locate their supply chains within the covered Asia-Pacific region by establishing a single predictable set of regional trade rules. The RCEP is expected to improve petrochemical commerce in Asia and promote investment in petrochemical projects from within and outside the RCEP's member nations and create a foundation for future regional collaboration.

In 2020, Clariant constructed a new catalyst production site in China, an investment that will strengthen the Swiss chemicals company's position in China and improve its ability to meet the demand of China's thriving petrochemicals industry. Investment in the catalysts business is part of Clariant's commitment to future growth, strengthening Clariant's ability to support China's petrochemicals industry, particularly the propane dehydrogenation market. China is the world's leading producer of on-purpose propylene. The nation's production volume accounts for around 50% of total global capacity and is expected to rise by 8% annually.

Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2023)

Catalyst Handling Services Companies and Competitive Landscape

The global catalyst-handling services market is highly competitive due to the rising use of catalysts in numerous industries. Major players in the market include ANABEEB, Specialty Welding and Turnarounds, Mourik Inc, Catalyst Handling Resources, Cat Tech, CR Asia, Group Peeters, Dickinson Group of Companies, REMONDIS SE & Co. KG, Plant-Tech Group, Albadr Group, Maviro Inc., USA, among others.

The major players in the market are known to incorporate numerous market strategies to achieve growth in the global catalyst-handling services market; these include mergers, expansion, and collaborations.

• For instance, In 2019, G. W. Aru, LLC announced to work with Pneumix Injection Units, BV, to market their systems to petroleum refiners in North America and FCC catalyst and additive customers globally. Pneumonia has been a leader in FCC catalyst and additive loading systems and other bulk catalyst handling solutions. The company offers an extensive portfolio of highly-reliable systems and custom solutions to meet refinery requirements for handling FCC catalysts and additives from the grave to the cradle.

Specialty Welding and Turnarounds

Overview: Founded in 2014, Specialty Welding and Turnarounds has become a trusted provider of specialized turnaround services with safety, superior execution capabilities, and specialty mechanical and welding service offerings. The company has master service agreements with more than 50 U.S. facilities, including some world’s largest oil refineries and maintains various touchpoints across its key customer relationships. The company has a diverse geographic presence with offices in Texas, Louisiana, and California, a coverage area spanning over 14 states, and a nationwide craft labor database of more than 4,000 highly experienced professionals.

Product Portfolio:

• CATALYST SERVICES: The company offers various services, including vessel unloading, catalyst screening, vessel loading, tray removal, and others.
• Key Development: In 2020, Specialty Welding and Turnarounds, LLC completed the acquisition of Hydroprocessing Associates, LLC. Hydroprocessing Associates, LLC provides specialized catalyst handling services for oil and gas refineries and petrochemical facilities.

Why Purchase the Report?

• To visualize the global catalyst handling services market segmentation by service, end-user, and region and understand key commercial assets and players.
• Identify commercial opportunities in the global catalyst handling services market by analyzing trends and co-development.
• Excel data sheet with numerous data points of catalyst handling services market-level with four segments.
• PDF report consisting of cogently put together market analysis after exhaustive qualitative interviews and in-depth market study.
• Product mapping available in excel consists of key products of all the major market players

The global catalyst handling services market report would provide approximately 53 tables, 46 figures, and almost 200 pages.

Target Audience 2023

• Service Providers/ Buyers
• Industry Investors/Investment Bankers
• Raw Material Providers
• Catalyst Companies
• Education & Research Institutes
• Research Professionals
• Emerging Companies
• Manufacturers
• Logistics companies
• Distributors