Market Trends of Kaolin Industry
Growing Demand from Paper and Ceramics Industries
- Kaolin is primarily used in the paper industry; it makes paper smoother and whiter, and it also acts as a filler in the interstices of the sheet.
- The use of kaolin supports gaining properties such as adding ink receptivity and opacity to the paper sheet and coupling to coat the surface, which in turn supports producing sharp photographic illustrations and bright printed colors.
- Kaolin has perfect opacity, which is an extremely important property for the paper industry. Using kaolin gives brightness, gloss, and viscosity properties to paper. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), USA, about 60% of kaolin is used only by the paper industry.
- In ceramics, kaolin is used for whiteware products, insulators, and refractories. Kaolin has excellent molding properties and adds dry and fired strength, dimensional stability and a smooth surface finish to ceramic products.
- According to AFRY, global paper consumption reached 476 million metric tons in 2022 and registered a growth of 1.27 % compared to 470 million metric tons in the previous year.
- According to the Reserve Bank of India, India exported ceramic and glassware goods worth more than INR 258.24 billion (USD 3.28 billion) in the fiscal year 2022, thus supporting market growth.
- Furthermore, as per the Reserve Bank of India's survey, ceramic products exported from India were INR 258.24 billion (USD 3.16 billion) in 2022 and registered growth compared to 225.53 in 2021.
- Similarly, according to The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry( METI (Japan)), the production volume of paper and paperboard in Japan reached 23.67 million metric tons in 2022.
- Therefore, owing to the above-mentioned factors, the demand for kaolin is expected to increase significantly during the forecast period.
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Asia Pacific Region to Dominate the Market
- Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the global market owing to the highly developed ceramic sector, paper and paperboard production in China and India, and the continuous investments made in the region to advance the plastic and rubber technology sectors through the years.
- The growing ceramic industry in China and India increases the utilization of kaolin. Especially products like sanitaryware, tableware, and tiles had decent growth in recent years. According to the Ceramic World Web, China stands first globally, followed by India, in ceramic tile manufacturing in the current scenario.
- In Asia-Pacific, the major usage of kaolin is in the paper industry because of the cost and limitations of pulp in producing paper and paperboard.
- According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, around 11.6 million metric tons of processed paper and cardboard were produced in China in September 2022, reflecting an increase of nearly 8% compared to August 2022.
- Recently, the usage of kaolin in paints, rubber, plastics, medicines, adhesives, and cement sectors has been significantly growing due to its abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, and chemical inertness properties.
- According to the Rubber Board, in FY 2022, India consumed more than 1.2 million metric tons of natural rubber, an increase of 13% annually. In 2022, India was the world's second-largest user of natural rubber.
- Thus, the increasing demand from various applications is likely to surge the demand for kaolin in the region during the forecast period.
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