The unexpected shifts in the global markets because of the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 virus have brought many major and minor tremors to industries of all sizes including the Recycled Lead Market.
It was estimated prior to this unanticipated outbreak that the Recycled Lead Market was expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period. However, the gradual slowing down of industries will undoubtedly impose limits on the previously estimated growth rate.
According to the International Lead Association, approximately more than 50% of the demand for lead across the world is obtained from recycled lead, which is mainly because of the simple production and cost-efficient features of recycled lead, along with the decreasing number of lead mining, owing to the depletion of lead ores and surge in the regulation of lead mining. On the other hand, the use of lead-acid batteries, majorly in automobiles, having lower cost and longer shelf life, are likely to fuel the growth of the recycled lead market during the forecast period.
Recycled lead is basically extracted from the lead-containing components such as lead acid batteries, cable sheathings, pipes, and plumbing articles and can be re-melted any number of times. Lead has the highest rate of recycling across the world, as compared to other common recyclable items such as glass, newspaper, cardboard, and rigid plastics. It is also known for its supreme quality features such as corrosion resistance, soft texture, and excellent malleability.
This report studies the market covering a period of 12 years of trend and forecast. The report provides detailed insights into the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.
Based on the product type, the market is segmented as soft/pure lead, lead alloys, and lead oxides. Soft/pure lead accounted for the largest share of the market in the year 2019, being the primary refined product of recycled lead and is majorly used in the production of lead-acid batteries as a raw material. Furthermore, pure lead is used in producing lead alloys and oxides. The three product types of recycled lead can be largely be distinguished based on their respective features. The addition of various elements such as copper, indium, silver, calcium, and tin to pure lead results in alloys having high strength, which are further used as an anti-corrosive sheet in industries such as marine and construction.
Based on the application type, the market is segmented as lead acid batteries, radiation shielding, rolls & extruded products, and others. Lead acid batteries are estimated to be the fastest-growing application type of the market during the forecast period. Recycled lead used for producing lead acid batteries is completely recyclable and recoverable. On the other hand, secondary lead is processed, cast, and rolled into different forms such as sheets, billets, wires, and is employed for further industrial uses. Lead acid batteries are the major sources for recycling lead, in which every component is separated; lead is processed and converted into different forms for further applications in the lead industry.
Based on the industry type, the market is segmented as energy, transportation, data centers, electronics, construction, healthcare, and others. Data centers are estimated to be the fastest-growing industry in the recycled lead market during the forecast period. The demand for data centers is rising globally with the arrival of cloud computing and the growing requirement for servers by search engine giants such as Google. Google itself has set up over 12 data centers, which have a variable capacity of 2.5 million servers, globally. Moreover, there are other companies such as IBM Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Dell EMC, which are also the major players in the industry. Recycled lead is used as a material for lead acid batteries in UPS systems for data centers, which is expected to fuel the demand for recycled lead during the forecast period.
In terms of regions, Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of the overall recycled lead market in 2019. The region is likely to maintain its leading position with China being the largest recycler and consumer of lead scrap during the forecast period. There will be an enormous quantifiable surge of secondary demand for lead, owing to the low cost of lead acid batteries along with the growing demand for energy storage for data centers and solar energy over the coming years. There is an increase in the number of investments in recycling infrastructure in countries such as India and Malaysia, which is estimated to result into a greater production of secondary lead. North America and Europe are also expected to offer substantial growth opportunities during the forecast period.
Key Players:
Some of the key players in the recycled lead market are-
- Aqua Metals, Inc.
- Canada Metal North America Ltd.
- ECOBAT technologies
- ENERSYS
- Exide batteries
- Gravitas Group
- Mayco Industries
- Recylex S.A
- The Doe Run Company
- Tianjin Dongbang Lead Resources Recycling Co., Ltd.
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