Calcined Anthracite Market: Growing Application in Water Purification
The primary driver of the calcined anthracite market is the rise in steel demand due to the material’s use in blast and ladle furnaces in steel mills for decarburizing. Due to its low cost and high tensile strength, steel is the most widely manufactured material in the world. It finds application in construction as reinforcing rods for concrete, bridges, tools, ships, trains, automobiles, bicycles, machinery, electrical appliances, furniture, and other equipment.
Moreover, anthracite is a good carburizing agent for cast steel, grey cast iron, and steel works in iron foundries. At approximately 1400°C, anthracite is thermally cleaned and used as the carburizing agent. By heating anthracite at an electric furnace between 1800 to 2200 degrees Celsius it creates electrically calcined anthracite (ECA). With higher levels of conductivity both electrically and thermally as well as more carbon content than ever before it has made its way into making carbon electrode paste because of its lower quantities of moisture, volatility and sulfur present.
Further, calcined anthracite has a lower moisture, ash, and volatile matter content and a higher carbon percentage than conventional coal products. As a result, calcined anthracite—which uses coal with extremely low impurity and moisture content—has become highly sought after in the production of steel and other metals. Compared to conventional anthracite coal, electrically calcined anthracite coal (ECA) has a higher carbon content and is relatively more electrically and thermally conductible. Given that the coal that is subjected to the greatest heat and pressure is highly compressed and robust. As such, it has a higher capacity to produce heat energy than the softer, geologically ‘newer’ coal.
Global Trends
Gas calcined anthracite (GCA) is perfect for applications involving steel or cast iron because its properties are nearly the same as those of electrically calcined anthracite (ECA). Gas-calcined anthracite is dense and contains a lot of carbon. It’s among the best sources of high-quality carbon. Because of its high carbon content, gas-calcined anthracite is thought to increase yield and decrease total costs. In many applications, gas-calcined anthracite is primarily used as a recarburizer supplement to calcined petroleum coke. Accordingly, the calcined anthracite market is expected to grow over the forecast period owing to increasing demand for gas calcined anthracite.
End Use Case
The steel industry primarily uses the product as a source of carbon. The calcined anthracite market is anticipated to grow as a result of its increasing demand in electric furnaces and the basic steelmaking process. Utilizing products in the steel industry lowers the need for expensive metallurgical coke, which lowers overall production costs. To remove metal oxides, calcined anthracite is added to other charging materials, like petcoke, in electric arc furnaces. Growth is anticipated to be fueled by a growing need for extremely pure, thermally and electrically stable coal products in the production of steel and other metals.
The product is fed into the blast furnace in the basic oxygen steelmaking process, and it helps to remove impurities from the steel. In the process, the steel, flux, and iron in the oven are eliminated, forming liquid steel. Throughout the forecast period, the growing preference of steel manufacturers for using premium Coke to produce steel of a higher calibre is anticipated to positively affect market growth.
Market Dynamics and Drivers
One of the main reasons driving the global demand for calcined anthracite is the extensive use of steel in the building, farming, and automotive sectors. Moreover, calcined anthracite is frequently utilized as a crucial filler material in battery casings due to its high purity. The surging aviation sector and EV sales are warmly influencing the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), thereby boosting market growth. Also, it serves as a filler for cathode blocks, carbon electrodes, ramming pastes, electrode pastes, and other carbon-based products.
This is fueling the market’s expansion along with the growing use of filtration systems in wastewater and drinking water management. Furthermore, calcined anthracite is widely used in heating and power generation across the globe since it emits fewer harmful gases than other types of coal. This is expected to offer market participants lucrative opportunities, in addition to the rising energy demand brought on by fast industrialization and growing reliance on electrification.
Due to its purity and quality, electrically calcined anthracite is used extensively as smelting add-on in aluminum industry. The demand for calcined anthracite has risen through increased demand and production of aluminium products. Furthermore, with the expansion of aluminum industries in different regions will see the market for calcined anthracite grow as it takes advantage of easily accessed raw materials. Between 2023-24, there was a shortfall of 0.37 million tonnes (in this area) because the amount of primary aluminum produced was about 17.35 million tonnes lower than the amount consumed globally at 17.72 million tonnes. From July through September 2023, global consumption of primary aluminum has been forecasted to be roughly 17.96 million tonnes while production is set to stand at approximately 1783 million tons, resulting in a deficit of 0.13 million tons.
Figure 1: Production of Aluminium in India, in Lakn Tonnes, by Company, 2022-23
Source: Ministry of Mines
Key Developments
- In February 2024, the JSW group executed an investment plan worth Rs 65,000 crores to build an integrated steel complex in Odisha which would generate about thirty thousand jobs for people living around this region. The establishment combines various operations like generating power, manufacturing cement and steel as well as constructing jetties. The factory can produce up to thirteen point two million tons annually.
- In February 2024, JSW JFE Electrical Steel Private Limited was officially registered at Bellary district of Karnataka state as a joint venture between JFE Steel Corporation and JSW Steel Limited, specifically targeting the production of grain-oriented electrical steel. With a total investment of $670 million, full operation is anticipated by 2027. For the plant, this investment would draw calcined anthracite from the surrounding area.
- In March 2024, three Chinese autonomous provinces and regions’ steelmakers announced the installation of new facilities by 2024.
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