Polymerization Catalysts Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Polymerization Catalysts Market size is forecast to reach $5.7 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 5.4% during 2021-2026 due to various properties such as high strength, durability, and heat resistance polyolefins. Catalysts are used in the production of polymers such as polypropylene and linear low-density polyethylene. These polymers are used in building & construction, electrical & electronics, automobiles, and packaging due to their excellent durability, corrosion resistance, and low-cost results. Thus, increasing the demand for polymerization catalysts as they are used in the production of polymers is estimated to grow the market size. Polymerization catalysts include Ziegler–Natta catalyst, single-site catalyst, metallocenes catalysts, and others. Metallocenes catalysts are used in improving clarity in film, high impact strength, and toughness which is estimated to grow the market size.

Due to COVID-19, the demand for polymerization catalysts is reducing from the end-use industries such as automobiles, construction, packaging, and electrical & electronics. Also increasing restriction due to lockdown, the prices of crude oil decreased due to the collapse of demand which may hamper the market of polymerization catalysts.

The report: “Polymerization Catalysts Market – Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the polymerization catalysts Industry.

By Catalysts: Ziegler-Natta Catalysts, Single-site Catalysts, Metallocene Catalysts, Alkylation Catalysts, and Others

By Application: Polyethylene (High-Density Polyethylene, Low-Density Polyethylene, Linear Low-Density Polyethylene), Polystyrene, Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, and Others 

By End-Use Industry: Packaging, Building & Construction, Electrical and Electronics, Automobiles, Personal Care & Cosmetics, Furniture, Household Goods, Medical & Healthcare, and others 

By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of Asia Pacific), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), and RoW (Middle East and Africa) 

Ziegler-Natta catalysts segment held the largest share in the polymerization catalysts market in 2020 followed by metallocene catalysts due to widely used in the production of polymers. Ziegler-Natta catalysts produce polymer resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane. Based on solubility, Ziegler-Natta catalysts are divided into homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts which are used in polypropylene. Apart from this, metallocene catalysts are designed to create active polymers with entirely novel properties which are estimated to grow the consumption of these catalysts for polymerization.

Polyethylene application type held the largest share for the global polymerization catalysts market in 2020. Polymerization catalysts such as Zeigler-Natta catalysts, metallocene catalysts, and other catalysts are used to produce polyethylene such as low-density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, and high-density polyethylene. Low-density polyethylene is used for plastic bags and film wrap and high-density polyethylene is used in the packaging of milk jugs, detergent bottles, garbage containers, and water pipes. LDPE offers lower tensile strength, flexible, lightweight plastic material, low water absorption toughness, corrosion resistance, and excellent electrical insulating properties which are estimated to grow the consumption of LDPE, in turn, expected to increase the polymerization catalysts market size. 

The packaging segment held the largest share of the global polymerization catalysts market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period followed by automotive. Polymerization catalysts are used in the manufacturing of polyethylene such as linear low-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and others which are used in the packaging of food & beverages, toys, electrical tools, automobile parts, and so on. Also, these are used to produce polypropylene which provides an effective packaging solution of products due to easy processability and effective sealing. Polypropylene has a melding property thus it is used in toy packing and sports equipment with high flexibility. Hence, the increasing food industry is estimated to grow demand for plastics which in turn is estimated to boost the consumption of catalysts. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India’s food processing sector is expected to reach US$ 535 billion by 2025-26. However, the Indian government approved Rs. 107.42 crore (US$ 15.25 million) to implement 28 food processing projects, which helps to reduce food waste and increasing demand for recycling packaging. Additionally, polypropylene plastic is widely used in manufacturing automotive parts such as bumpers, gas cans, and seat panels which are estimated to boost the market of polymerization catalysts. 

Asia Pacific dominated the polymerization catalysts market in 2020 with 30%, owing to the increasing consumption of polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene in emerging and developing countries. Polyolefins are widely used in the production of toys, textiles, electronics, and others. Thus, Asian countries such as India and China have become the largest manufacturer and exporters of plastic. According to the Plastics Export Promotion Council of India (PLEXCONCIL), India exported plastics worth US$ 4.77 billion during 2020-21. Therefore, the Indian Government has unveiled plans to target plastics’ exports of USD 25 billion by 2025. According to the China Food Industry (CFI) almost 15,00 tonnes of fresh food, 1.8 million bottles of disinfectant solution, and 3 million bottles of liquid soap were sold in 2020. Apart from this, According to Healthcare Information Company IQVIA, China was the world’s second-largest national pharmaceutical market in 2017 $122.6 billion. It was also the biggest emerging market for pharmaceuticals with growth tipped to reach $145 billion to $175 billion by 2022. Thus, such factors are increasing the demand for plastics which is estimated to grow the consumption of polymerization catalysts.

Zeigler Natta catalysts used in the production of polypropylene of high isotacticity and polyolefin manufacture. Zeigler-Natta catalysts and also metallocene are used for the production of high-density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene, thermoplastic polyolefin, polybutylene, and crystalline polypropylene. Polyethylene is widely used in various types of packaging such as consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and others products. Thus, the increasing demand for polyethylene is estimated to grow the demand for catalysts. Furthermore, India’s domestic pharmaceutical market is estimated at US$ 41 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$ 65 billion by 2024. According to Cosmetic Europe, the cosmetics market of the United States increased by 8.81 % to euro 73.7 billion (US$ 82.50 billion) in 2019 compared to euro 67.2 billion (US$ 79.36) in 2018. Additionally, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India’s domestic pharmaceutical market is estimated to reach US$ 65 billion by 2024 and ~US$ 120-130 billion by 2030. Hence, the growing cosmetics and pharmaceutical sector is growing the consumption of polyethylene which is estimated to grow the demand for polymerization catalysts. 

Increasing production of polymer resins is expected to grow the market of polymerization catalysts because of the increasing consumption of polypropylene from plastic packaging and plastic parts for machinery and equipment. Polypropylene has high insulation properties which make them safe to use for plastic in electrical cables. The polypropylene polymer resin is waterproof and extremely resistant to moisture absorption, which adds to its packaging benefits and flexibility as a packaging material. Thus, increasing consumption of packaging materials such as plastics has fueled the need to produce more polymers which, in turn, is estimated to increase the utilization of polymerization catalysts.

Catalysts such as metallocenes are used in the manufacture of polyethylene which is derived from crude oil. Thus, the fluctuations in the prices of crude oil affect the prices of polyethylene, which are hampering the consumption of catalysts. According to BP Statics, oil prices declined to US$64.21/bbl in 2019 as compared with US$71.31/bbl in 2018. Additionally, the Brent oil price has fallen by US$41.84/bbl in 2020 as compared to the previous year. Hence, the price fluctuation may hamper the polymerization catalysts market growth during the projected era. 

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the polymerization catalysts market. Major players in the Polymerization Catalysts Market are: