India’s Activated Carbon Sector Struggles Amid Supply Challenges

India is likely to lose its competitive edge of being the biggest activated carbon exporter given an acute shortage of coconut shell charcoal, the main raw material for activated carbon production, reported The Hindu BusinessLine. 

This sector of the coconut industry is faced with challenges that included rising manufacturing cost, shrinking coconut shell and coconut charcoal availability, increasing global demand for gold carbon and fluctuating freight charges.  This has forced many activated carbon manufacturing units in South India to hike working capital

requirements and reduce the production capacity, according to Joshy Joseph, Director of INDCARB, the Palakkad based manufacturer and exporter of activated carbon.