Activated carbon

2024: Increase in imports of activated carbon to Russia by 24% to 30 thousand tons

The supply of activated coal to Russia from foreign countries in 2024 increased by 24% to 30 thousand tons compared to 24.2 thousand tons in 2023, which was the result of the expansion of the use of these products in various sectors of the economy and the simplification of customs procedures with Asian partners. Over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, the volume of imports doubled from the base 15.4 thousand tons, demonstrating a steady trend towards an increase in foreign purchases. This is evidenced by the data of the analytical company BusinesStat, released at the end of August 2025.

Leading Russian enterprises in the industry include specialized companies engaged in the production and processing of sorbents:

• JSC Sorbent"."
• Envisi Carbon Rus LLC.
• LLC NPP Polikhim.
• Carbonika-F LLC.
• Vyatka Coal Company LLC.

The main suppliers of activated coal to the Russian market were China and India, which provide a significant share of imports due to competitive prices and developed transport infrastructure. The simplification of customs procedures and the improvement of logistics ties between Russia and Asian countries contribute to the growth of trade in this segment.

The dynamics of activated carbon imports shows uneven growth over the years. In 2021, supplies increased by 29% to 19.9 thousand tons, and in 2022 the increase was 22% with a level of 24.3 thousand tons. In 2023, imports practically stagnated at the level of 24.2 thousand tons without significant changes.

Russia does not have sufficient raw materials to fully meet domestic needs for high quality activated coal. Domestic producers use wood, stone and brown coal as the main raw materials, however, the highest quality activated carbon is produced from coconut shells.^[1]

2023: Import of 24.2 thousand tons of activated carbon into Russia (-0.4%)

In 2023, approximately 24.2 thousand tons of foreign activated carbon were imported into Russia. The volume of imports practically did not change compared to the previous year, when the figure was 24.3 thousand tons. That is, a decline of 0.6% was recorded, as reported in the materials of BusinesStat, published on March 22, 2024.

Activated carbon is used in many areas - in power, non-ferrous metallurgy, food and pharmaceutical industry, medicine, in the production of personal protective equipment, in public utilities and environmental technologies. This substance, in particular, is used as an adsorbent in the treatment of drinking water, wastewater, gas emissions, for the extraction of metals and various compounds from industrial solutions, as well as as a catalyst carrier.

According to BusinesStat estimates, 16 thousand tons of activated carbon were imported into Russia in 2019. A year later, imports fell by 3.8% to 15.4 thousand tons, and in 2021 they rose by 28.9%, reaching 19.9 thousand tons. In 2022, an increase of another 22.1% followed.

In general, in the period from 2019 to 2023, the import of activated coal into Russia increased by 50.6%. The main suppliers of these products are India, China and the Philippines. In particular, in 2023, shipments from India jumped 52.3% compared to 2022. At the same time, China and the Philippines reduced supplies by 2.4% and 32.3%, respectively. The decline in imports from the Asia-Pacific region is due to a lack of raw materials for local production. In addition, against the background of the formed geopolitical situation, shipments from Europe fell.

Russia, as stated in the study, is not fully provided with raw materials for the production of activated carbon. In 2019-2023, imported products accounted for an average of 61.9%.^[2]

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