Report Notes Growing Demand for Water Treatment Chemicals Through 2022

Written by AOS Treatment Solutions on January 6, 2017

report-notes-growing-demand-for-water-treatment-chemicals-through-2022

In December 2016, Research and Markets released its report, “Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market Size, Share, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2022.” The report highlights major categories of global water treatment chemicals, including municipal water treatment, power generation, chemical processing, oil and gas refining, pulp and paper processing, metals, and mining and construction.

Market Overview

For the 2015 calendar year, the research firm estimates global water treatment chemical production at $16.85 billion. Authors of the report project a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6 percent into 2022.

Municipal water treatment is the largest category in the industry; for 2015, the market share of municipal water treatment stood at 3.086 million tons and was valued at $5.75 billion. The CAGR is estimated at 5.8 percent, meaning this market segment will grow faster than the overall global water treatment chemicals industry.

The research firm also released “Global Water & Wastewater Treatment Chemicals Market By Application, By Type, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2025.” This 192-page report projects that the worldwide market for water and wastewater treatment chemicals will exceed $33 billion by 2025. If this estimate proves accurate, the market for global water treatment chemicals will almost double in a single decade.

Market Segments

Water treatment chemicals include these and other compounds:

  • Coagulants and flocculants
  • Corrosion inhibitors
  • pH adjusters and stabilizers
  • Biocides and disinfectants
  • Chelating agents
  • Scale inhibitors
  • Oxidants and oxygen scavengers
  • Anti-foaming agents

In 2015, coagulants and flocculants had the greatest market share of any category.

Forces Driving Demand

Different reasons explain the growing demand for water and wastewater treatment chemicals in emerging and developed economies.

Emerging Markets

Rapid industrialization and economic development in emerging markets like China and India drives water treatment chemical growth in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2015, the area used 2.998 million tons of such chemicals. Much of the increase in worldwide demand for water treatment chemicals is largely due to major industrial categories like energy, chemicals, oil and gas.

Over the past decade, Chinese industrial growth has spiraled upward. United Nations data suggests that, in 2007, China’s industrial output was less than two-thirds of the industrial output of the United States. By 2011, China’s industrial production exceeded that of the United States by 20 percent. In 2012, the CIA’s World Factbook estimated total Chinese industrial production at $3.7 trillion, while U.S. industrial production was valued at $2.9 trillion.

The Chinese government allocated $112 billion for water treatment plant upgrades for the period of 2011-2015. Its (13th) five-year plan for 2016-2020 seeks to bring sewage treatment to 95 percent of urban areas and 85 percent of rural areas. These ambitious targets will continue to drive demand for wastewater treatment chemicals.

Mature Markets

In established markets like the United States, growing urban centers exert pressure on existing water purification and wastewater treatment facilities. In areas of greater population density, communities increasingly rely on low-quality groundwater sources to relieve supply and demand imbalances. Lower-quality groundwater often requires increased use of water treatment chemicals to meet federal mandates and meet consumer expectations.

Major Producers Worldwide

Research and Markets identifies these major producers/suppliers of global water and wastewater treatment chemicals:

  • Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan
  • BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
  • Ashland Corporation, Lexington, Kentucky
  • Lonza Group Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
  • GE Water & Process Technologies, Trevose, Pennsylvania
  • Kemira Oyj, Helsinki, Finland
  • Air Products And Chemicals, Detroit, Michigan
  • Buckman Laboratories, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Akzo Nobel NV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Cortec VCI, St. Paul, Minnesota

Innovative Water Treatment Solutions

AOS Treatment Solutions is your single-point source for specialized water and wastewater solutions. Since 1999, we’ve become an industry leader by using scientific and analytical protocols to develop water and wastewater treatment programs for both municipal and industrial applications.

Contact us today to learn how AOS can develop a cost-effective, customized water treatment program that will advance operations at your facility.

Posted Under: Technical Applications