Carbon industry in China is now on the way of expansion, providing more and more economic and environmental opportunities. With the rapid economic development and the increase of energy needs, China has seen an unprecedented growth of carbon industry, with production value comes to 225.5 billion yuan in 2017.
The carbon materials industry has become one of the important emerging industries in China. Carbon can be divided into three categories: carbon materials, chemical, and energy, according to their applications. The chemical category includes carbon black and activated carbon, both of which are mainly used in petroleum, rubber, and plastics industries. The energy category is mainly for coal and graphite. Carbon materials further divided into graphite, activated carbon, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, and graphite processing products, which are used in the aerospace and automobile industries, electronic and electrical industries, metallurgy and mineral industries, textile and biomedical industries.
China has become the worlds leading producer of carbon-related materials, leading the market with a 37.0 percent share. This can be largely attributed to the Chinese governments supportive policies since 2007. By that time, the Chinese government started to subsidize the development of carbon materials and to promote investment in the industry.
Chinese carbon industry is on an upward trend, but faces some challenges. Although China currently accounts for more than 60% of the global carbon production, its energy efficiency and environmental awareness still need to be improved. Burning of materials with low calorific value during the production process has caused air pollution, waste of energy, and excessive consumption. Another challenge is to develop new technologies and products, such as carbon fibre-reinforced composites and carbon nanofiber materials.
The Chinese government is providing a range of policy incentives to promote the development of the carbon industry. In 2017, the National Energy Administration (NEA) introduced the Action Plan for Development and Promotion of Carbon Industry, including cost reduction, technology innovation, and market development, in order to create a better environment for the industry. The government has also announced the implementation of a series of fiscal and tax support measures, such as granting capital loans to carbon-related enterprises, and providing preferential corporate income tax for industrial upgrade.
Carbon industry in China is experiencing a period of rapid development. It offers both economic and environment opportunities, and the Chinese government is actively promoting its development through policy initiatives. With increasing demand for energy and materials, the carbon industry would likely continue its rapid expansion in China.
