Aerogel Market - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029

The global aerogel market is valued at US$1.75 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.80% over the forecast period.

Aerogels are nanoporous materials with specific properties. With these properties, aerogels find application in various growing sectors such as oil & gas, construction, automotive, and others. They are utilized in electric vehicles for high-temperature insulation when compressed between battery cells. Because of its properties, aerogels are manufactured in several forms, such as blankets, particles, panels, and monoliths. The automotive industry is shifting from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to fully electric and automatic moving machines, and this would increase the demand for aerogels.

• According to the IEA (International Energy Agency), electric vehicle sales have been witnessing significant growth in demand, from 14 million in 2023 to an estimated 16.6 million in 2024. Electric vehicle share increased from 4% in 2018 to 18% in 2023. Europe saw the growth of electric vehicles from 2.7 million in 2022 to 3.2 million in 2023.
• In February 2023, Svenska Aerogel announced its agreement with the customer to optimize the use of Quartzene and saw positive results, with a third of the project completed. The funding included a joint development plan. The company committed to supplying 30 tons of Quartzene per year during the pilot phase. As the volume demand is expected to increase in the upcoming period, the company intends to produce Quartzene in the customer’s facility with Svenska Aerogel’s module solution.

GLOBAL AEROGEL MARKET DRIVERS:

Increasing oil and gas demand

Aerogels play a significant role in oil and gas production. They ensure the thermal insulation of pipelines and equipment, the adsorption of oil spills, and the separation of gas mixtures. Applications of aerogels in the energy sector include thermal insulation, energy efficiency, personnel protection, condensation control, and process control. With the growing demand for oil worldwide, the need for aerogels will increase.

 The oil demand worldwide has expanded to 97,191 barrels in 2021, 99,655 in 2022, and 102,212 in 2023, with quantities of 1,000 barrels/day. The need for aerogel is due to the thermal insulation for subsea flow lines and subsurface gas storage. The expanded demand is due to the growing economies of Asia Pacific and Africa, which needed oil and gas for their fast development.

Rising demand from the construction sector

Aerogels provide cost-effective, environment-friendly building materials, such as thermal insulation, energy-efficient devices, air purification, glazing, soundproofing, and fire retardants. The growing and developed economies show significant demand for housing construction and infrastructural development worldwide. In the USA, construction value put in place has surged from 2,023,013 (million) in June 2023 to 2,148,444 (million) in June 2024, indicating a significant upsurge in the construction activities in the country. The growing economies are witnessing growth due to the growing urbanization and industrial developments. The aerogel application would significantly improve construction design and material purposes in the industry.

Rising demand for automotive, aerospace, and marine application

Aerogels have been used in thermal management solutions in EVs, for example, in EV-safe heat shields to protect against thermal runaways of electrical vehicle batteries. The growing demand for EVs has been surging worldwide due to multiple factors, such as government policies, growing consumer preferences, and rising concerns about carbon emissions.

In the United States, the share of EVs has increased from 7.03% in 2022 to 9.51% in 2023; there are 4.7 million EVs on the roads in the USA. Norway continued to be the leader in electric vehicle (EV) deployment rates, with the share of electric car sales reaching 93% in 2023. These figures suggest the growing importance of electric vehicles and their aerogel application.

Expanding the use of the biobased aerogel

The development of bioaerogel has been very significant in the industry. In April 2024, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) and Aerogel-it developed the biggest bioaerogel pilot plant. This record-setting pilot plant was the biggest facility for producing bioaerogels. It included 100% bio-based lignin aerogel as a green, space-saving superinsulation. It has a capacity of 150 liters of bioaerogel particles per day.

Further, in March 2023, Aerogel-it and Fibenol collaborated for sustainable superinsulation. This collaboration enabled Aerogel-it to design a bioaerogel based on a new generation of lignin, produced by Fibenol directly from biomass. Lignin bioaerogel provides superinsulation properties and reduces heat transfer. Lignin bioaerogel is significant in reducing the CO2 impact by up to 95% while being 100% bio-based. This development emphasizes sustainable development and the use of bio-based products.

Global Aerogel Market Geographical Outlook

The Asia Pacific region will dominate the aerogel market during the forecast period.

The major economies like China, Japan, India, and South Korea dominate the Asia-Pacific region. Some of the fastest-growing emerging economies are from this region, such as ASEAN countries. In 2023, China accounted for 60% of all new electric car registrations globally. The share of electric cars in China was 35% in 2023, up from 29% in 2022. This is in favor of a 20% sales share by 2025, according to the national target.

Further, in India, too electric vehicle sales and development have been significantly rising due to favorable government support for the production under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme,  tax benefits, and incentives for purchases under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME II) scheme.

Global aerogel market restraints:

• The cost of aerogel production has been high compared to other substitute materials, and the availability of alternative technologies is a major challenge to its market growth.

Global aerogel market key developments:

• In November 2023, JIOS Aerogel (JIOS), a silica aerogel technology company, opened an advanced manufacturing plant in Pioneer, Singapore. This would serve as a production center for the company’s EV product, the Thermal Blade. This is designed to provide thermal and electrical insulation between the battery cells of electric vehicles. Silica aerogels are being used for high-temperature insulation when compressed between battery cells. The establishment of this facility represents the JIOS’ ongoing strategy to encourage automakers to adopt aerogel-based technology.
• In September 2023, Beerenberg entered into a distribution agreement with Aerogel-it. This agreement concerns the sales and distribution of aerogel thermal insulation products for the building & construction, infrastructure, automotive, and marine industries. Oryza aerogel is a cost-effective and sustainable solution from Beerenberg. Oryza BGT aerogel blanket has the fire class A1 for maximum fire resistance, and dust-control technology makes the blankets easy to handle. According to the agreement, Aerogel-it would exclusively market and sell Oryza aerogel for the building and construction industry in the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region.
• In September 2023, JIOS Aerogel received a significant investment from the MegaChem Group to launch its plants in Singapore. This funding would be for JIOS Aerogel’s two Southeast Asian plants. This aerogel production facility and its new Singapore site are for fully automated production of its thermal blade in response to the upcoming demand for technologies in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The company is likely to expand in the European, North American, and Asia Pacific markets to meet the needs of automakers in those regions.
• In May 2023, Cabot Corporation announced the launch of its new ENTERA aerogel particles portfolio. These particles are applied in thermal insulation additives designed to enable the development of ultra-thin thermal barriers for electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries. The company launched three ENTERA aerogel products that can be incorporated into various thermal barrier forms, including blankets, pads, sheets, films, foams, and coatings. These aerogel products are helpful for battery and EV manufacturers to comply with new regulations and provide lightweight thermal barrier solutions for low thermal conductivity. The product ranges from microns to millimeters and includes ENTERA EV5200 aerogel, ENTERA EV5400 aerogel, and ENTERA EV5800 aerogel.

The global aerogel market is segmented and analyzed as follows:

By Type

• Silica
• Carbon
• Alumina
• Others

By Form

• Blanket
• Particles
• Blocks
• Panels

By End-user Industry

• Oil and Gas
• Construction
• Automotive
• Marine
• Aerospace
• Others

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Rest of South America
• Europe
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Rest of the Middle East and Africa
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Rest of Asia-Pacific