Requirements and Applications of Activated Alumina
Time:2025-09-15
In recent years, the basic chemical materials market in domestic has experienced a resurgence. As an indispensable adsorbent, desiccant and catalyst carrier in multiple key industrial fields, the price of aluminum hydroxide material -- the main raw material of activated alumina, continues to rise, leading to cost pressures on downstream activated alumina balls and attracting widespread attention in the industry. Under the dual tests of cost and market, the quality stability and efficient application of products have become the focus of attention in the industry chain.
Since the second half of last year, the price of industrial grade aluminum hydroxide, as the core raw material for producing activated alumin, has shown a continuous upward trend. According to industry market analysis agencies, as of now, the cumulative increase has exceeded 15%. Market analysts pointed out that the price increasing this time is mainly influenced by multiple factors:
1. Upstream supply tightening: The adjustment of bauxite mining policies and the increase in environmental requirements have led to a tightening of the supply of primary raw materials for aluminum hydroxide.
2. Energy cost driven: The production of activated alumina requires high-temperature calcination, which is a high-energy consumption process. The recent fluctuations in energy prices such as coal and natural gas have directly pushed up production costs.
3. Strong market demand: The demand for high-performance activated alumina in downstream fields such as new energy and environmental protection continues to grow, supporting raw material prices from the demand side.
Under cost pressure, the market has put forward higher requirements for the quality of activated alumina products. High quality activated alumina is not simply a powder, its specific surface area, pore volume, compressive strength, adsorption efficiency and other indicators are crucial.
*High specific surface area and controllable pore structure provide a huge adsorption space and reaction interface, which is the basis for its function as an efficient adsorbent and catalyst carrier.
*High mechanical strength and wear resistance: Ensure that it is not easily powdered in industrial environments with high pressure and high airflow erosion, prolong its service life, and reduce losses.
*Stable chemical properties: It has good thermal stability and corrosion resistance, and can maintain performance in various harsh chemical environments.
Using inferior products may seem to save short-term costs, but due to their low adsorption efficiency, short lifespan, and susceptibility to pulverization, system blockages can actually lead to frequent shutdowns and replacements, resulting in a much higher overall cost than using high-quality products.
Despite facing cost challenges, the application scope of activated alumina in modern industry is still expanding due to its unique physical and chemical properties, and it is known as the "industrial monosodium glutamate".
1. Adsorption and drying field -- largest application in the market:
*Petrochemical industry: Used for deep drying of gases such as cracking gas, ethylene, propylene, etc., to remove moisture and protect downstream catalysts.
*Air separation industry: Adsorb moisture in oxygen and nitrogen production equipment to prevent device freezing.
*Instrument air/compressed air: Removes water vapor and oil from compressed air to ensure the normal operation of pneumatic tools and instruments.
2. Water treatment field (driven by environmental demand growth):
*Defluorination agent: It is currently the most widely used fluoride removal material for drinking water, which can effectively reduce the fluoride content in high fluoride water to below the safety standard, and is crucial for ensuring the safety of residents' drinking water.
*Arsenic adsorbent: can be used to remove arsenic pollution from groundwater.
3. In the field of catalysts and their carriers (high value-added applications):
*As the main catalyst, it is used for the production of hydrogen peroxide by anthraquinone method.
*As a catalyst carrier, it is widely used in processes such as automobile exhaust purification, hydrogenation refining, and sulfur recovery, and its performance directly determines the efficiency of catalytic reactions.
In recent years, the basic chemical materials market in domestic has experienced a resurgence. As an indispensable adsorbent, desiccant and catalyst carrier in multiple key industrial fields, the price of aluminum hydroxide material -- the main raw material of activated alumina, continues to rise, leading to cost pressures on downstream activated alumina balls and attracting widespread attention in the industry. Under the dual tests of cost and market, the quality stability and efficient application of products have become the focus of attention in the industry chain.
Since the second half of last year, the price of industrial grade aluminum hydroxide, as the core raw material for producing activated alumin, has shown a continuous upward trend. According to industry market analysis agencies, as of now, the cumulative increase has exceeded 15%. Market analysts pointed out that the price increasing this time is mainly influenced by multiple factors:
1. Upstream supply tightening: The adjustment of bauxite mining policies and the increase in environmental requirements have led to a tightening of the supply of primary raw materials for aluminum hydroxide.
2. Energy cost driven: The production of activated alumina requires high-temperature calcination, which is a high-energy consumption process. The recent fluctuations in energy prices such as coal and natural gas have directly pushed up production costs.
3. Strong market demand: The demand for high-performance activated alumina in downstream fields such as new energy and environmental protection continues to grow, supporting raw material prices from the demand side.
Under cost pressure, the market has put forward higher requirements for the quality of activated alumina products. High quality activated alumina is not simply a powder, its specific surface area, pore volume, compressive strength, adsorption efficiency and other indicators are crucial.
*High specific surface area and controllable pore structure provide a huge adsorption space and reaction interface, which is the basis for its function as an efficient adsorbent and catalyst carrier.
*High mechanical strength and wear resistance: Ensure that it is not easily powdered in industrial environments with high pressure and high airflow erosion, prolong its service life, and reduce losses.
*Stable chemical properties: It has good thermal stability and corrosion resistance, and can maintain performance in various harsh chemical environments.
Using inferior products may seem to save short-term costs, but due to their low adsorption efficiency, short lifespan, and susceptibility to pulverization, system blockages can actually lead to frequent shutdowns and replacements, resulting in a much higher overall cost than using high-quality products.
Despite facing cost challenges, the application scope of activated alumina in modern industry is still expanding due to its unique physical and chemical properties, and it is known as the "industrial monosodium glutamate".
1. Adsorption and drying field -- largest application in the market:
*Petrochemical industry: Used for deep drying of gases such as cracking gas, ethylene, propylene, etc., to remove moisture and protect downstream catalysts.
*Air separation industry: Adsorb moisture in oxygen and nitrogen production equipment to prevent device freezing.
*Instrument air/compressed air: Removes water vapor and oil from compressed air to ensure the normal operation of pneumatic tools and instruments.
2. Water treatment field (driven by environmental demand growth):
*Defluorination agent: It is currently the most widely used fluoride removal material for drinking water, which can effectively reduce the fluoride content in high fluoride water to below the safety standard, and is crucial for ensuring the safety of residents' drinking water.
*Arsenic adsorbent: can be used to remove arsenic pollution from groundwater.
3. In the field of catalysts and their carriers (high value-added applications):
*As the main catalyst, it is used for the production of hydrogen peroxide by anthraquinone method.
*As a catalyst carrier, it is widely used in processes such as automobile exhaust purification, hydrogenation refining, and sulfur recovery, and its performance directly determines the efficiency of catalytic reactions.
