Activated carbon is obtained from coal, wood, peat and is also known as activated charcoal. The adoption of circular economy for sustainability is major trend followed by many countries. The urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) plays vital role in circular sustainability with recovery in resources and production of energy. Activated carbon is widely used in manufacturing of industries for treatment of waste water and recovery of materials which can be reutilized for further process. The powdered activated carbon is one of the most convenient type for purification of wastewater the reason being the impurities in the water can be removed with help of simple filtration processes and the material can be obtained from bioresources and can be inexpensive compared to other technologies. Surge in global population and rising industrialization holds responsible for growth of global water treatment industry which, is expected to propel the activated carbon market in the near future.

The increasing demand for water resources due to water scarcity in Asia for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and household use have forced government of several countries to emphasize on waste water treatment technology for reuse of treated water. There is a deterioration in water quality and water shortages in many places due to the scarcity. According to European Union the large scale industries with massive production capacities such as chemical industry, iron & steel, and pulp & paper industry have higher proportion of waste water generated after production process. This industries requires on-site capacity to treat wastewater before release in the environment. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to treat the wastewater. This factors led to driving demand for waste water treatment which, in turn, holds responsible for driving activated carbon market.

In 2020, Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share in the global activated carbon market. Steady growth in the population coupled with the growth in industrialization in the countries cause water contamination. Therefore, growing awareness of environmental pollution and government regulations to prevent water pollution and control action plans have increased the demand for water treatment in recent years which, in turn creates lucrative opportunities for the activated carbon market in the region. Further, growing dominance as well as higher production rate of automotive, and the easy availability of raw materials boost the growth of the activated carbon market in Asia-Pacific.
Some of the major key players operating in the global activated carbon market include Osaka Gas Chemical Co Ltd; Kuraray Co., Ltd.; Haycarb (Pvt) Ltd.; Cabot Corporation; Kureha Corporation; Activated Carbon Technologies Pty Ltd; Albemarle Corporation; CPL Activated Carbons; Jacobi Carbons Group; Calgon Carbon Corporation; and James Cumming And Sons Pty Ltd.