White Fused Alumina Market: Overview
Calcined alumina, also known as corundum or alpha alumina, is an essential raw material used in the manufacturing of white fused alumina. White fused alumina is the purest form of alumina, produced by fusing calcined alumina in electric arc furnaces at a temperature of about 2,000°C. White fused alumina possesses excellent properties such as hardness, purity, chemical stability, melting point, and large crystal size. It is primarily used in specific refractory applications such as high tech refractory castables, isostatic pressed refractories, and pre-cast refractory shapes owing to its high purity. White fused alumina possess high alumina content, low impurities, and stability at high temperatures. It is commercially available in block, grain, and powder forms. Particle shapes of white fused alumina vary from angular, blocky, sharp, and irregular. These particle shapes affects the performance of the product such as the subsurface damage level and stock removal rate.
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White Fused Alumina Market: Key Segmentation
In terms of grade, the global white fused alumina market can be bifurcated into refractory and abrasive. White fused alumina-based abrasives are primarily used as finishing media for cleaning and surface preparation products. They are also applied for degreasing, de-oiling, texturing, descaling, discoloration removal, and roughening applications. White fused alumina-based abrasives are used to manufacture products such as cutting-off and grinding wheels, snagging wheels, mounted wheels, honing stones, and construction plugs & cones. Refractory and ceramic manufacturers prefer refractory graded white fused alumina as they possess high purity, high chemical stability, and high refractoriness.
Based on application, the white fused alumina market can be divided into abrasives, abrasion protection, metal working processes, refractories, engineered ceramics, pressure blasting, and others. The refractories segment accounted for a significant share of the global white fused alumina market in 2018. White fused alumina is widely used in refractories owing to its ability to withstand continuous exposure to a combination of heat, corrosion, abrasion, and impact. However, the engineered ceramics segment is projected to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period due to their properties such as oxidation resistance, fracture toughness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. Increase in manufacturing and processing of engineered ceramics is anticipated to boost the demand for white fused alumina.
White Fused Alumina Market: Regional Outlook
In terms of geography, the global white fused alumina market can be divided into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific accounted for a major share of the global white fused alumina market in 2018 due to the presence of large metal processors and ceramic manufacturers in the region. The white fused alumina market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period owing to the rise in industrialization in countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan. China is a major producer and exporter of white fused alumina in the world. The country accounts for one third of the white fused alumina production capacity in the world. Production capacity expansions by alumina manufacturers in China is likely to boost the export of white fused alumina to North America and Latin America in the next few years. Furthermore, increase in the adoption of white fused alumina in refractory and ceramic applications is anticipated to drive the white fused alumina market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period. North America and Europe accounted for a significant share of the global white fused alumina market in 2018 due to the rise in demand for white fused alumina in the construction industry in these regions.
White Fused Alumina Market: Key Players
Key players operating in the global white fused alumina market include Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials, Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd., SHOWA DENKO K.K., Richard Baker Harrison Limited, Elfusa (Curimbaba Group), ALMATIS, Washington Mills, Electro Abrasives, LLC, Imerys Refractory Minerals, Henan Ruishi Renewable Resources Group Co., Ltd., Yichuan Shengyu Abrasives Co. Limited, Zhengzhou whale refractory co., LTD, Guizhou Dazhong Qisha, Shanmenxia Fused Corundum, and Henan Yilong High & New Materials. The global white fused alumina market is fragmented in nature, comprising prominent players focusing on the production of products such as low heat-treated, high heat-treated, and ultra-fine white fused alumina.
