Air Density Separator Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Application (Recycling and Waste Processing, Chemical, Food and Beverages, Minerals and Mining, and Agriculture), and Regional Forecast, 2023-2030

The global air density separator market size was valued at USD 1.19 billion in 2022. The market is projected to grow from USD 1.24 billion in 2023 to USD 1.71 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period.

Air density separator is an equipment that is used to segregate the finer products from the heavy material. The machinery equipment uses a controlled air principal and is used to segregate trash from material with a heavier density. The air steam is primarily used to carry material through a separator with the material made to pass through an opening while the heavier particles are separated using gravity.

Density-based separator has been proven extremely effective to have the segregation of heavier materials (metals, rocks, glass) and lighter materials (light plastic, dirt, sand, paper). Europe and North America will collectively dictate the market developments over the years. The effective presence of established air density separator players across the region and well-developed and intertwined distribution channels are the major factors contributing to the considerable share and robust growth projections of these regions. Moreover, effective integration of automation and efforts to inculcate cyclic innovation are also propelling the sales of these products across the regions. The report provides a detailed analysis on the basis of applications across diverse geographic regions.

COVID-19 IMPACT

COVID-19 Pandemic had an Adverse Impact Due to Curtailed Mining and Refinery Operations

The health emergency caused due to COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a major reason behind the gloomy performance of the market. The brief shutdown of the major and emerging economies across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific also created hindrances to the installation of air density separators across diverse application industries. The government restrictions for operating across mining sites and limited permissions for the industrial facilities during the initial phase of the pandemic restricted the opportunities for sales and growth of the market. However, post-pandemic, the market is estimated to slowly recover from the negative growth it had experienced as a short-term impact and is set to exhibit a promising development in the second half of the forecast period.

LATEST TRENDS

Use of Density Separation Equipment to Tackle Micro-plastic Pollution Threat is Set to Emerge as a Promising Trend

Most governments across the world have initiated an operation to address the growing threat of micro-plastic pollution to develop and create a sustainable ecosystem with a sense of ecological conservation. Over the past few decades, synthetic polymers have paved a way for the development of the modern world. The same phenomenon has also created global plastic pollution crises. As per the current trend, nearly 80% of the plastic developed is never recycled and discarded. The application of air density separators in waste processing and recycling operations is set to gain momentum over the forecast period and will witness considerable traction across all the major economies across the globe.

Most of the manufacturers are making hefty investments and are constantly working to develop bulk recycling models using density separation techniques. The manufacturers are trying to build and market a separation system that will minimize the total cost of operation. The companies are also working to develop an integrated selection algorithm that will provide a minimal cost of product separation and optimal processing sequence. This bulk processing will process and consider optimal sequence on the criteria of proper sequence for isolating target material from the mixed material stream.

DRIVING FACTORS

Continuous Efforts to Develop Innovative Solutions with Minimal Use of Resources to Drive Market Growth

The separator application industry is trying to adopt a cyclic innovation model for operations and transform their processes into Green Businesses. The use of equipment, such as air density separators, is anticipated to serve the purpose of transformation into green business models. Moreover, increasing challenges in the minerals and mining, recycling, and waste processing industries pave the way for the inclusion and integration of modern technologies into the fold. The scarce availability of the metals and steep increment in the requirement of those respective metals have increased the volatility in market pricing. This volatility has subsequently increased the vitality of mineral processing and recycling operations across the globe.

The development of Magnetic Density Separation (MDS) is an equipment capable of separating materials with different densities, faster pace of operation, accuracy offered in the separation, and a cost-effective model. MDS is anticipated to push the sales of the product and emerge as a decisive growth factor for the market.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

High Capital Investments May Restrain the Market Growth

The requirement of sizable expenditure associated with the installation and application of this equipment at industrial establishments is cited as a major factor constraining development prospects. Moreover, the conventional setup requires a large space for a setup, which eliminates its possibility of application in cramped and tight spaces. Air density separators also had limitations in terms of feed rate and elevated table frequency as the greater feed rate and higher table frequency deteriorate the quality of the production due to reduced time of residence for the particle settlement. The adverse impact on the effectiveness in terms of handling excessive load and heavy capital investment are constraining the sales of the product across the globe.

SEGMENTATION

By Application Analysis

Waste Processing and Recycling Segment to Dominate Due to the Trend of Recycling Waste Products

On the basis of application, the market is classified into recycling and waste processing, chemical, food and beverages, minerals and mining, and agriculture.

The increasing trend of recycling waste products and the high trend to segregate waste and recycling metal scrap and related products provide a substantial share of the recycling and waste processing segment. The application of separation machinery to clean and separate waste which acts as one of the prominent raw materials for biofuel generation is expected to contribute to the growth of the recycling and waste processing segment.

The food and beverages segment is anticipated to procure a sizable share of the global market after the waste processing and recycling segment. The increasing requirement of gravity and density-based separation solutions for the processing of food products and their cleaning. The development of compact and high-capacity models acts as a contributing factor for the swift and high rate of adoption of the products in the market.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

On the basis of region, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific. Amongst these regions, Europe is estimated to contribute toward a major chunk of the air density separator market share due to the presence of established and global players in the Europe market. In terms of market growth, the Asia Pacific region is projected to outpace its counterparts due to innumerable opportunities of countries such as India, China, and some ASEAN countries.

Most of the strong and established players have a sizable presence in the market of Europe with well-established and interconnected supply chains in the region. The companies are also trying to introduce advanced and robust products to attract customers from a diverse array of application industries toward the products. The governments across the European Union are taking stringent measures to have a proper disposal and recycling of waste products, which is cementing the air density separator market growth across the region.

The presence of global players across the U.K. will provide better growth and considerable market share to the U.K. Moreover, stringent and strict regulations by the authorities for waste processing and recycling of the products are anticipated to drive market development.

North America is also projected to account for a noteworthy share of the global market. Integration of automated and effective air density separators into waste processing facilities will provide new opportunities for market growth. Moreover, the capability of modern separators to maintain targeted production throughput and efficiency is to be utilized as size screening equipment to uplift the operational efficiency and maximize the elimination of contaminants to reinforce the sales of the product throughout the forecast period.

From the perspective of market development, Asia Pacific will witness considerable market traction. The development of the established manufacturing clusters in China will propagate market growth as the manufacturing of cost-effective machinery by China-based market players effectively attracts customers toward their products.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Companies are Working on Finalizing Mergers and Acquisitions to Solidify their Presence in the Market

Air density separator companies are aiming to execute both organic and inorganic market strategies to have a substantial presence in the global market. Various companies are emphasizing on developing a wide array of their product portfolio to attract customers from different application industries toward their products. Moreover, most of the market players are actively engaged in having mergers and acquisitions of smaller yet potential entities to increase their presence in the market.

Companies, such as ANDRITZ, Blue Group, and LYBOVER, Nihot Recycling Technology B.V., can be considered as the key players in the market. These companies have decent brand goodwill and a fair share of the customer base across multiple geographies.

List of Key Companies Profiled:

• ANDRITZ (Denmark)


• Metso Outotec (Finland)


• LYBOVER (Belgium)


• Blue Group (U.K.)


• Hillenbrand, Inc. (U.S.)


• Acrowood (U.S.)


• M&K (U.K.)


• Nihot Recycling Technology B.V. (Netherlands)


• Neuenhauser Recycling Technology GmbH (Germany)


• CSS Recycling Equipment Solutions (Australia)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• August 2022 – FLSmidth, a prominent service and technology provider for customers operating in cement and mining industries, has recently completed the acquisition of ThyssenKrupp’s mining business. The mining business will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the organization after having the required approval from all the regulatory authorities across the globe.


• June 2022 – Gerard Daniel launched its recently developed vibratory separator machine sizing app. The app will help customers to identify the machine best suited for their operations. The sizing app considers four important operational parameters to decide on suitable machines for efficient and profitable operations.


• October 2022 – General Kinematics launched its separator named the De-Stoner Air Classifier. The product developed by the company can be used for a wide range of materials, can process high amounts of volume, and is claimed to be jam resistant.


• November 2022 – Alfa Laval, a manufacturer of specialized products and solutions for heavy industries, has recently announced the launch of its complete series of premium separators, which can be used for applications in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries.

REPORT COVERAGE

The air density separator market research report provides a detailed analysis of the market and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies and applications of the product. Besides, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments. In addition to the factors above, the report encompasses several factors that contributed to the growth of the market in recent years.

Report Scope & Segmentation