촉매 시장의 2024년 시장 규모는 325억 2,000만 달러로, 2030년에는 425억 5,000만 달러에 달할 것으로 예측되며, CAGR은 4.58%입니다.
세계의 촉매 시장은 정유, 석유화학, 자동차, 제약, 배기가스 규제 등 다양한 분야에서 중요한 산업 운영의 기본적 실현 수단으로 작용하고 있습니다. 촉매는 반응 속도 향상, 수율 극대화, 에너지 집약도 감소에 필수적이며, 기존 생산 시스템과 차세대 지속가능한 기술 모두에서 전략적 자산으로 자리매김하고 있습니다.
| 시장 개요 | |
|---|---|
| 예측 기간 | 2026-2030 |
| 시장 규모 : 2024년 | 325억 2,000만 달러 |
| 시장 규모 : 2030년 | 425억 5,000만 달러 |
| CAGR : 2025-2030년 | 4.58% |
| 급성장 부문 | 이종 |
| 최대 시장 | 아시아태평양 |
신흥 시장에서는 효율성, 환경 규제 준수, 복잡한 반응 요건을 충족하기 위해 맞춤형 촉매 솔루션이 개발되는 등 상품 중심의 프레임워크에서 가치 중심의 성능 중심 모델로 전환하고 있습니다. 이러한 변화는 규제 압력 증가, 청정 공정에 대한 요구, 고부가가치 화학 생산에서 첨단 공정 최적화에 대한 필요성에 의해 가속화되고 있습니다.
자동차 생산 증가와 전동화 추세
원자재 가격 변동 및 가용성 제한
촉매 설계에 인공지능(AI)과 머신러닝을 통합하는 방법
인공지능(AI)과 머신러닝(ML)을 촉매 연구개발에 통합하는 것은 촉매를 발견하고 최적화하는 방식에 혁명을 가져오고 있습니다.
The Catalyst market was valued at USD 32.52 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 42.55 Billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 4.58%. The Global Catalyst Market serves as a fundamental enabler of critical industrial operations across diverse sectors, including refining, petrochemicals, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and emissions control. Catalysts are indispensable for enhancing reaction kinetics, maximizing yield, and reducing energy intensity positioning them as a strategic asset in both legacy production systems and the next generation of sustainable technologies.
| Market Overview | |
|---|---|
| Forecast Period | 2026-2030 |
| Market Size 2024 | USD 32.52 Billion |
| Market Size 2030 | USD 42.55 Billion |
| CAGR 2025-2030 | 4.58% |
| Fastest Growing Segment | Heterogeneous |
| Largest Market | Asia Pacific |
Increasingly, the market is shifting away from a commodity-focused framework toward a value-oriented, performance-driven model, where customized catalyst solutions are developed to address efficiency, environmental compliance, and complex reaction requirements. This transformation is being accelerated by rising regulatory pressures, the demand for cleaner processes, and the need for advanced process optimization in high-value chemical production.
Key Market Drivers
Rising Automotive Production and Electrification Trends
The global automotive industry is undergoing a dynamic transformation, marked by steady growth in vehicle production and an accelerating shift toward electrification and cleaner mobility solutions. This dual trend is emerging as a significant driver for the catalyst market, influencing demand patterns across both traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and next-generation electric and hybrid vehicles. Catalysts play a vital role in emissions control, battery material processing, and fuel cell technologies, positioning the automotive sector as a key growth engine for the global catalyst industry. Despite the rise of electric vehicles, ICE-powered vehicles continue to dominate global automobile sales, particularly in developing and emerging economies such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, and parts of Africa. Global sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles reached approximately 69.2 million units, reflecting the continued dominance of conventional powertrains in overall automotive demand despite growing momentum in electrification. Catalytic converters are essential for ICE vehicles to comply with increasingly stringent emission regulations worldwide. These systems use platinum group metal (PGM)-based catalysts to convert harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and unburned hydrocarbons into less harmful substances. The demand for three-way catalysts (TWCs) in gasoline engines and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) in diesel engines remains strong, especially in markets enforcing newer emission norms such as Euro 6, Bharat Stage VI, and China VI. As automakers continue to ramp up production to meet rising consumer demand, especially in populous regions, the need for advanced emission control catalysts grows in parallel.
Governments worldwide are implementing tighter vehicle emission standards, compelling automotive manufacturers to adopt high-performance catalyst systems that ensure compliance without compromising fuel efficiency or engine performance. In response, the automotive sector is increasingly investing in next-generation catalyst technologies that offer greater thermal stability, broader operating temperature ranges, and enhanced conversion efficiency. Regulatory pressure is also driving innovation in low-PGM or PGM-free catalyst materials, expanding the scope of the catalyst market and attracting R&D investment. This regulatory environment acts as a long-term catalyst market growth enabler, especially as countries aim to combat urban air pollution and meet climate goals.
In 2024, global electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to exceed 17 million units, accounting for over 20% of total new car sales a clear signal of accelerating consumer adoption and market shift toward electrified mobility. Industry forecasts indicate that EV sales will surpass 20 million units by 2025, underscoring the rapid scaling of electric vehicle penetration across key markets. While battery electric vehicles (BEVs) do not use traditional exhaust catalysts, the overall electrification trend including plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) continues to support catalyst demand. Hybrid vehicles, which combine an electric motor with a conventional ICE, still require full emission control systems, often operating under more dynamic engine conditions. This creates demand for more robust and adaptable catalyst solutions. Additionally, the production of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs involves catalytic processes in the manufacturing of cathode materials (e.g., lithium cobalt oxide, nickel manganese cobalt oxide), where transition metal catalysts are employed to enhance reaction efficiency and product purity. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) though still a niche use platinum-based catalysts in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells to enable electrochemical reactions that generate electricity from hydrogen. Therefore, the electrification trend, rather than reducing catalyst demand, is diversifying it expanding the market into new applications beyond emission control.
Key Market Challenges
Volatility in Raw Material Prices and Limited Availability
A major challenge facing the global catalyst industry is the high cost and price volatility of key raw materials, particularly platinum group metals (PGMs) like platinum, palladium, and rhodium, as well as rare earth elements such as cerium and lanthanum.
These materials are essential components in a wide range of catalysts, including automotive emission control catalysts, petrochemical catalysts, and hydrogenation catalysts. Supply of these critical metals is highly concentrated in a few countries, making the market vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, and supply chain disruptions. Price fluctuations not only affect profit margins for catalyst manufacturers, but also increase operating costs for end-users in refining, automotive, and chemical sectors.
This unpredictability complicates long-term planning and investment decisions, especially for companies in cost-sensitive markets. Additionally, the limited global availability of certain rare elements raises concerns over resource sustainability and supply security, prompting the need for recycling, substitution, or innovation in catalyst design.
Key Market Trends
Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning in Catalyst Design
The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into catalyst research and development is revolutionizing the way catalysts are discovered and optimized.
AI models are increasingly being used to predict catalytic behavior, reaction mechanisms, and material compatibility based on vast chemical data sets. This data-driven approach allows for faster screening of catalyst candidates, reducing the time and cost associated with traditional trial-and-error methods in laboratories. Companies and research institutions are now leveraging computational chemistry and predictive analytics to design catalysts with enhanced selectivity, durability, and activity tailored to specific industrial processes.
As AI becomes more accessible and powerful, it is expected to enable rapid innovation cycles, drive custom catalyst development, and ultimately transform catalyst manufacturing into a more efficient, knowledge-intensive process.
In this report, the Global Catalyst Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:
Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Catalyst Market.
Global Catalyst market report with the given market data, TechSci Research offers customizations according to a company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report: