I. Core Application Scenarios and Technical Value

ALD technology, with its atomic-level thin-film regulation capabilities, material compatibility and high stability, focuses on enhancing pollution control efficiency and optimizing resource recycling in the field of environmental protection. Specific scenarios include:

1. Efficient catalysis and pollutant degradation

Air purification: By depositing photocatalytic films such as TiO₂ and MnO₂ through ALD and modifying the catalyst carrier (such as honeycomb ceramics and activated carbon), the degradation efficiency of organic pollutants like formaldehyde and VOCs can be enhanced (the degradation rate increases by 20% to 40%), and the stability of the film can extend the catalyst's lifespan to 3 to 5 years (the lifespan of traditional catalysts is usually less than 1 year).

Water quality purification: By depositing Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂ nano-coatings on the surface of membrane separation materials (such as ultrafiltration membranes and reverse osmosis membranes), the anti-pollution performance of the membranes (reducing the adsorption of organic matter by more than 50%) and their resistance to acid and alkali corrosion can be improved, thereby reducing the energy consumption of water treatment. Or prepare nanoporous adsorption membranes to selectively adsorb heavy metal ions (such as Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺), with an adsorption capacity that can reach 2 to 3 times that of traditional materials.

2. Synergy between new energy and carbon neutrality

oCO₂ capture and conversion: By modifying the surface of MOFs (metal-organic framework) materials, metal active sites (such as single-atom Cu and Ni) are deposited through ALD to enhance the selectivity of CO₂ adsorption and catalytic conversion efficiency (increasing the yield of methanol conversion by 30%), facilitating the implementation of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology.

Solid waste resource utilization: During the recycling process of used batteries, ALD membranes are utilized to separate electrode materials from current collectors, reducing the usage of acid and base reagents (lowering chemical pollution by 30%). Or modify the surface of fly ash to inhibit the leaching of heavy metals (leaching concentration < 0.1mg /L, meeting the hazardous waste treatment standards).

3. Environmental monitoring and sensors

o micro gas sensor: A gas-sensitive film (such as SnO₂, WO₃) is deposited on the surface of the sensor electrode to enhance the detection sensitivity (with a detection limit as low as the ppb level) and anti-interference ability for toxic gases (such as NO₂, SO₂), making it suitable for real-time monitoring of industrial waste gas.

o Water quality sensor: A functional film (such as SiO₂/ZnO composite film) is deposited on the surface of the optical fiber sensor probe to achieve rapid detection of trace pollutants in water (such as pesticide residues and antibiotics), with a response time of less than 10 seconds.

Ii. Market Size and Growth Drivers

The current application of ALD in the environmental protection field is still in the early stage of commercialization. The global market size is expected to be approximately 80 to 120 million US dollars in 2024, accounting for 2% to 3% of the total ALD equipment market. However, the growth drivers are clear:

<s:1> Policy-driven: The "dual carbon" goals of various countries (such as China's "14th Five-Year Plan" for the environmental protection industry and the EU's "Green Deal") have promoted the upgrading of pollution control technologies. The high efficiency and low energy consumption characteristics of ALD are in line with policy guidance. For instance, China has increased the subsidy for the treatment of industrial waste gas VOCs to 30% of the project investment, accelerating the demand for technological transformation of enterprises.

The potential for technological substitution: Traditional environmental protection technologies (such as activated carbon adsorption and common photocatalysis) have problems like low efficiency and secondary pollution. ALD can break through performance bottlenecks through atomic-level regulation. For instance, after municipal sewage treatment plants adopt ALD-modified membrane modules, their operating costs can be reduced by 15% to 20%, demonstrating commercial substitution potential.

Expansion in emerging fields: Research and development in scenarios such as soil remediation (heavy metal fixation) and Marine oil spill treatment (oil-water separation membrane) is accelerating, and it is expected that new growth points will be formed after 2025.

Iii. Challenges and Constraints

1. Cost and scale bottlenecks

The cost of oALD equipment and precursors is relatively high (about 5 million yuan for a single laboratory device and over 20 million yuan for mass-produced equipment), and the environmental protection field is highly sensitive to cost, which limits the purchasing willingness of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Most of the existing equipment is designed for high-precision scenarios such as semiconductors and new energy, and there is a lack of low-cost mass production equipment suitable for environmentally friendly materials (such as powder and film rolls), such as roll-to-roll ALD and fluidized bed ALD.

2. Lack of technical verification and standards

The long-term stability data of environmentally friendly materials modified by oALD is insufficient (for example, the weather resistance of outdoor photocatalytic coatings needs to be verified for more than five years), and there is a lack of unified performance evaluation standards in the industry (such as the testing method for catalyst degradation efficiency), which leads to concerns for enterprises in their application.

3. Insufficient industrial chain collaboration

There is relatively little technical connection between environmental protection enterprises and ALD equipment manufacturers. Equipment manufacturers have limited understanding of the demands of environmental protection scenarios, and the development of customized solutions lags behind (such as the optimization of film formulas for specific pollutants).

Iv. Future Trends and Breakthrough Directions

Equipment customization and cost reduction: Develop dedicated ALD equipment for environmental protection materials (such as continuous roll-to-roll deposition equipment, powder batch processing equipment), reduce equipment costs to within 5 million yuan (laboratory level) by simplifying cavity design and substituting domestic precursors, and promote the application of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Technical standardization and demonstration projects: Jointly formulate performance standards for ALD environmental protection materials with industry associations, build demonstration projects (such as membrane module renovation of municipal sewage treatment plants, industrial waste gas treatment projects), accumulate long-term operation data, and enhance market confidence.

Cross-disciplinary technology integration: Combining AI algorithms to optimize the composition and structure of thin films (such as machine learning for predicting catalytic activity), or integrating with biodegradation technologies (such as ALD-modified microbial carriers), to expand application boundaries.

V. Conclusion

ALD atomic layer deposition equipment has a broad long-term prospect in the field of environmental protection, but in the short term, it is necessary to break through the bottlenecks of cost and large-scale application. Its atomic-level precise regulation capability is the key to enhancing the performance of environmental protection materials. With policy support, the decline in equipment costs and the advancement of technology verification, it is expected to achieve a leap from research and development to commercial application during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, and become an important support for the technological upgrading of the environmental protection industry. It is expected that by 2030, the global market size will reach 500 to 800 million US dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of over 30%.