The catalyst fertilizers market in South America is expected to grow from US$ 185.12 million in 2019 to US$ 221.44 million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% from 2020 to 2027.
The demand for food and food products is continuously increasing in relation with the growth in population, which would surge the growth of the market. Consumers' diet habits are also changing due to economic development taking place in various regions and countries. The activity of the catalyst fertilizer decides the yield and conversion of feedstock. The choice of a suitable fertilizer catalyst for the reforming process is also quite necessary for the fertilizer plant's production output. The performance of the catalyst depends on the reactor design. Increasing the capacity of fertilizer plants is pushing the demand for high performance fertilizer catalysts, which is anticipated to continue over the forecast period. Expanding population and decreasing fertile lands are further accelerating the growth of the fertilizer industry. This, in turn, is resulting in a rise in demand for ammonia, thereby pushing the development of the fertilizer catalyst market. There has been a significant rise in demand for hydrogen gas and other chemicals, which is driving the fertilizer catalyst market. The strong growth of the worldwide economy and increase in demand for food are expected to fuel the demand for catalyst fertilizer during the forecast period. To fulfill this requirement, farmers & crop growers are looking for the proper solution to increase the crop yield. Catalyst fertilizers help in the South America. The yield and conversion of crops depend significantly on fertilizer catalysts, which lead fertilizer plant owners to choose an appropriate catalyst for the reforming process to optimize the overall production. Hence, increasing demand for high-quality crops is accelerating the growth of the market.
In terms of application, the nitrogenous segment led the catalyst fertilizers market in 2019. The nitrogenous fertilizer industry mainly focuses on the production of synthetic ammonia, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, and urea. Synthetic ammonia & nitric acid are used primarily as intermediates in ammonium nitrate and urea fertilizers. Disposal of the spent catalyst is a problem for many industries as it falls under hazardous industrial waste. The recovery of various metals from these catalysts is a quite an important economic aspect as most of these catalysts are supported, basically on alumina/silica with varying percent of metal; metal concentration could range from 2.5 to 20%. Metals like Ni, Mo, Co, Rh, Pt, Pd, etc., are further widely used as catalysts in chemical and petrochemical industries and fertilizer industries. Catalysts, such as platinum, vanadium pentoxide, zeolites, etc. are used to produce nitrogenous fertilizers. In this process, a selective de-N2O catalyst in the high-temperature zone (between 800 and 950 ºC) of the oxidation reactor. In addition to that, high pressure is necessary to ensure sufficient surface coverage of the catalyst with nitrogen. For this reason, a ratio of nitrogen to the hydrogen of 1 to 3, a pressure of 250 to 350 bar, a temperature of 450 to 550 °C, and α iron are used as catalysts in the production of nitrogenous fertilizer.
Brazil has the highest number of COVID-19 cases, followed by Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. It is anticipated that South America would face lower export revenues, both from the drop in commodity prices and reduction in export volumes, especially to China, Europe, and the US, which are important trade partners. Containment measures in several countries of South America would reduce economic activity in the manufacturing sectors for at least the next quarter, with a rebound, once the epidemic is contained.
The overall South America catalyst fertilizers market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the South America catalyst fertilizers market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the South America catalyst fertilizers market. Major players operating in the market include Clariant; DuPont de Nemours, Inc.; Haldor Topsøe; Johnson Matthey; LKAB Minerals AB; PDIL; Quality Magnetite; QuantumSphere, Inc.; Axens; and Agricen.