In 2022, the Middle East & Africa dominated the global oil pollution remediation materials market share. The Middle East & Africa is home to major crude oil reserves; the number of crude oil exploration activities has surged notably in this region in the past few years. Developments in technologies that aid in oil exploration and production operations have propelled the risk of oil spills, driving the demand for oil pollution remediation materials and services. Thus, developments in technologies are contributing to the growing oil pollution remediation materials market size in the Middle East & Africa. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the Middle East consists of five leading oil-producing countries—Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, Iran, and Kuwait. The region accounts for ~27% of the total global production of oil. Developing and low-developed countries in the region are taking strides to raise their international oil & gas products trade levels. For instance, in March 2023, Uganda approved a project application to build a pipeline spanning over a distance of 1,445 km (898 miles) to transport the country’s crude oil to international markets. The pipeline would run from Uganda’s oilfields in the west to a port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast. The project worth US$ 3.5 billion is planned by TotalEnergies, a France-based multinational integrated energy and petroleum company. Thus, constantly rising strategic initiatives by key market players such as TotalEnergies and Oil-Dri Corp of America in the Middle East & Africa are positively influencing the oil pollution remediation materials market growth.
Rising Offshore Oil Exploration and Transportation Activities Drives Oil Pollution Remediation Materials Market
Increased offshore exploration and drilling activities, transportation of oil via pipelines or tankers, and human errors during oil extraction and storage propel the chances of oil spill incidences. According to the International Energy Agency, the global oil demand rebounded in 2021, and Asia is expected to account for 77% of oil demand by 2025. Asia’s oil import requirements are expected to surpass 31 million barrels per day by 2025. Governments of various countries in Asia Pacific have initiated oil projects to cater to the rising demand for oil in the region. In 2023, PETRONAS and its Petroleum Arrangement Contractors reported 19 oil and gas exploration discoveries and two exploration-appraisal successes, contributing to more than 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent of new resources for Malaysia. This is the result of an intensified exploration program pursued in the last few years, which saw the drilling of 25 wells. Since 2015, it is the highest number of exploration wells drilled in a single year. According to a report released by the US Energy Information Administration in January 2024, crude oil production increased, reversing a two-year decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. The US crude oil production rose from 11.27 million barrels/day in 2021 to 13.21 million barrels/day in 2023 and is projected to reach 13.44 million barrels/day by 2024. According to the Canada Energy Regulator, most of the crude oil produced in Canada is shipped using pipelines from western provinces to refineries in the US, Ontario, and Quebec. According to the report published by Bruegel AISBL in 2023, Russia was among the top five largest energy producers and consumers across the world in 2021. During the same year, it produced 595.2 million metric ton of crude oil, of which 286.6 million metric ton was exported. Thus, the rising offshore oil exploration and transportation activities drive the oil pollution remediation materials market.
Oil Pollution Remediation Materials Market: Segmental Overview
The oil pollution remediation materials market analysis has been carried out by considering the following segments: Type and Geography. Based on type, the oil pollution remediation materials market is segmented into physical remediation (booms, skimmers, and adsorbent materials), chemical remediation (dispersants and solidifiers), thermal remediation, and bioremediation. The physical remediation segment holds the largest oil pollution remediation materials market share. Physical remediation is commonly used to control oil spills in a water environment. It is used to contain and recover oil that remains on the water surface without changing its properties. It is also mainly used as a barrier to control the spreading of oil spills without changing its physical and chemical characteristics. The most common advantage of using physical remediation methods is that oil retains its properties. Therefore, it can still be refined and used in the future, reducing waste and potentially mitigating financial losses. The physical remediation process includes booms, skimmers, and sorbent materials.
A boom is a temporary floating barrier that is used to contain oil spills. The use of booms reduces the possibility of polluting shorelines and other resources and helps make easy spill recovery. Absorbent booms help to concentrate oil in thicker surface layers so that vacuums, skimmers, or other collection methods can be used more efficiently. Booms are often made of closed-cell, polyethylene foam shaped into circular sections. Skimmers are mechanical devices used to recover spilled oil from the water’s surface. They may be self-propelled and consist of conveyor belts, which are utilized to carry the spilled oil from the reservoir, which is further collected for processing and recovery. Few skimmer technologies also use suction to remove spilled oil, while other skimmers use gravity to gather skimmed oil into underwater storage tanks. The efficiency of skimmers is highly dependent upon the conditions of the sea. In moderately rough or calm water, skimmers tend to recover more water than oil. The efficiency of skimmers can also be determined by the type of oil being recovered, the sea conditions during cleanup efforts, and the presence of ice or debris in the water. Chemical remediation changes the physical and chemical properties of the oil, preventing the reuse of collected oil. Chemical remediation is used in combination with physical methods for marine oil spill remediation as they restrict the spreading of oil spills and offer protection to the shorelines and sensitive marine habitats. Various chemicals are used to treat oil spills due to their capability to change the physical and chemical properties of oil. Chemicals used to control oil spills include dispersants and solidifiers.
Oil Pollution Remediation Materials Market: Competitive Landscape
Sarva Bio Remed LLC, Oil Technics Ltd, Ansell Ltd, Oil-Dri Corp of America, Verde Environmental Group Ltd, Ecolab Inc, Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry Co Ltd, Regenesis, TOLSA SA, and CL Solutions LLC are among the prominent players profiled in the oil pollution remediation materials market report. In addition, several other players have been studied and analyzed during the study to get a holistic view of the market and its ecosystem. The oil pollution remediation materials market report also includes company positioning and concentration to evaluate the performance of competitors/players in the market.