Surging Popularity of Barbecued Foods Fueling Charcoal Sales in North America

The ballooning popularity of barbecuing and grilling is pushing up the demand for charcoal in North America. With the growing public awareness about health and fitness, the adoption of healthy lifestyles and eating habits is rising sharply in the region. This is consequently fueling the demand for grilled and barbecued food items, as they are easy to prepare, low in fat, and retain most of their nutritional content after cooking. 

Moreover, the rising culture of hosting get-togethers with friends and family in the open is boosting the demand for these foods in the region. Apart from this, the extensive usage of activated charcoal in water treatment processes is also propelling the demand for charcoal in North America. Due to the increasing pollution of water bodies, the governments of several North American countries are enacting strict laws regarding waste treatment and water treatment control.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and various other agencies and regulatory bodies in the region are recommending using activated charcoal as a cost-effective agent to eliminate toxic materials and chemical impurities from water. Activated charcoal removes these impurities from water via surface absorption. Due to this factor, the demand for charcoal is surging sharply in the region, which is, in turn, driving the advancement of the North American charcoal market.

As a result, the market is predicted to generate a revenue of $466.6 million by 2030. Sugar, Japanese, lump, and briquettes are the major types of charcoal used in North America. Out of these, the demand for lump charcoal was found to be the highest in the region in 2020, and this trend is predicted to continue in the coming years as well. This is credited to the extensive utilization of this charcoal variant in metallurgical processes. 

In North America, the demand for charcoal was found to be the highest in the U.S during the past few years, and the situation will not change in the future, as per the estimates of the market research firm, P&S Intelligence. This will be due to the material’s eco-friendliness and the surging popularity of grilled food items in the country. Additionally, the extensive usage of the material in restaurants and specialty bakeries is also fueling its sales in the country. 

Hence, it is safe to say that the demand for charcoal will shoot up in North America in the coming years, primarily because of the mushrooming popularity of grilled and barbecued food items and the soaring usage of activated charcoal in water treatment plants in the region.

Read More

Why Are Governments Encouraging Vehicle Owners to Replace Conventional Fuels with Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is an eco-friendly fuel which can be produced domestically and utilized in diesel engines with minimal or no alterations to fuel or engine systems. In comparison to conventional fuels, biodiesel emits lesser carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and they are free of aromatic and sulfur compounds. Owing to the environment-friendly trait of this clean fuel, several governments are encouraging its usage in vehicles. Additionally, the surging focus of many countries on reducing dependence on foreign oil reserves will also fuel the consumption of biodiesel in the forthcoming years.

Moreover, the surging concerns over reducing GHG emissions are expected to propel the biodiesel market growth during the forecast period (2021–2030). According to P&S Intelligence, the market generated $39.0 billion revenue in 2020. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly finalized the Phase 2 greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for model years to reduce CO2 emissions by around 1.1 billion metric tons in the U.S. between 2021 and 2027.

The application segment of the biodiesel market is classified into fuel, power generation, and others, such as military, mining, and healthcare. Under this segment, the fuel category generated the highest revenue during the historical period (2015–2020), and it is expected to display the fastest growth during the forecast period. This can be credited to the increasing focus of the agriculture, automotive, and marine industries on using clean fuels, owing to the burgeoning need to reduce the emission of toxic pollutants. 

Globally, the European region accounted for the largest share in the biodiesel market in 2020, owing to the surging number of government regulations for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, the Euro VI vehicle emission standards limit the emission of NOx, hydrocarbon (HC), and carbon monoxide (CO) from gasoline-powered light-duty vehicles to 0.06 g/km, 0.1 g/km, and 1.0 g/km, respectively. Euro VI norms also allow the emission of 0.08 g/km of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 0.17 g/km HC+NOx, and 0.5 g/km of CO from diesel-powered light-duty vehicles in the region. 

Thus, the toughening vehicular emission regulations and rising government focus on mitigating GHG emissions will encourage the adoption of biodiesel across the world.

Read More