Glutaraldehyde Market Research Report: By Application (Disinfectant, Water Treatment, Tanning, Animal Husbandry, Electron & Light Microscopy) and By End-Use (Healthcare, Wastewater Treatment, Research & Development Laboratories) – Forecast to 2030

Glutaraldehyde Market Overview

According to MRFR analysis, the Glutaraldehyde Market is projected to register a CAGR of 3.5% to reach USD 826 Million by the end of 2025.

Glutaraldehyde is a transparent saturated dialdehyde liquid, with a pungent odor, used as a disinfectant, fixative, and preservative. As glutaraldehyde is non-corrosive in nature it is widely used as a sterilant and high-level disinfectant in the sterilization of medical equipment such as spirometry tubing, dialyzers, endoscopes, and transducers. On the industrial scale, glutaraldehyde is produced by oxidation of cyclopentene. Some of the major applications of glutaraldehyde are as a preservative in cosmetics, cross-linking agent, tissue fixative in pathology labs, and disinfectant. Astican, Cidex, Aldecyde 28, Aidal, Biomate, Acticide GDA 50, Glutaclean, and BIOBAN GA 50, among others are the trade names of glutaraldehyde.

The major factors driving the growth of the glutaraldehyde market are the growing healthcare industry in emerging economies, particularly in Asia-Pacific, increasing demand for personal care and hygiene products, and growing use of glutaraldehyde in wastewater treatment applications. Aqueous glutaraldehyde (0.1–1.0% concentration) is used as a disinfectant and preservative for long-term storage.

The adoption of glutaraldehyde solution has increased in laboratories, where alkaline glutaraldehyde solutions find applications in electron microscopy, light microscopy, as a cross-linking agent for polyvinyl alcohol, gelatins, and polyheptapeptides, and tissue fixative in pathology and histology labs. The solution required for these applications usually consists around 50% of glutaraldehyde by weight in water.

Furthermore, glutaraldehyde being a relatively inexpensive aldehyde exhibiting excellent material compatibility makes it the material of choice for several applications. Additionally, glutaraldehyde is readily biodegradable and is classified as non-carcinogenic by the EPA. These factors are expected to contribute to the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

However, the use of glutaraldehyde has some disadvantages such as dermatitis, respiratory irritation, and pungent odor, which are expected to hinder the growth of the global glutaraldehyde market.

Regulatory Analysis

The regulations regarding the use of glutaraldehyde set by the regulatory bodies across the globe are as follows: European Union (EU) Biocides Regulation 528/2012 (EU BPR) for ‘assessing the active substances within commercial products’, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs-1, -2, -3), for ‘potential releases of airborne glutaraldehyde’, the Department of Energy (DOE) Protective Active Criteria (PAC-1, -2, and -3), for ‘potential releases of airborne glutaraldehyde’, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) 2015 recommended a TLV-Ceiling of 0.05 ppm (0.2 mg/m3). The Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Standards (DECOS) proposed glutaraldehyde occupational exposure limit as (HBR-OEL) for glutaraldehyde at 0.1 ppm (0.4 mg/m3)

Market Drivers

• Increasing application of glutaraldehyde in water treatment plants


• Expanding healthcare industry


• Relatively low manufacturing cost and material compatibility


• Increasing demand for fixative solutions in R&D


• Increase use of glutaraldehyde as a biocide in animal housing and sanitary solution of portable toilets

Market Restraints

• Adverse health effects, such as dermatitis and respiratory irritations.

Segmentation

By Application

• Disinfectant: It is expected to be the largest application segment with share of over 55%. A wide range of applications, rapid microbiocidal activity, and corrosion resistance to metals are factors driving the growth of the segment.


• Water Treatment: Aqueous glutaraldehyde is used as a microbicide in the wastewater treatment industry.


• Tanning: Glutaraldehyde solution is used to soften the leather


• Animal Husbandry: Glutaraldehyde crosslinking solution is used in food and animal feed applications.


• Electron & Light Microscopy: Fixatives made from glutaraldehyde are used for preventing autolysis that occurs under acid conditions and prevents the development of coloration of the tissue.

By End-Use

• Healthcare: The expanding healthcare industry is expected to fuel the demand for glutaraldehyde. The segment accounted for the largest market share in 2018 and is expected to follow the same trend during the forecast period. Moreover, the growing population and increasing awareness regarding health and hygiene are likely to add to the growth of the segment.


• Wastewater Treatment: Less than 10% of glutaraldehyde is used in water treatment systems such as cooling towers and boil feeds.


• Research & Development Laboratories: The product is used as a fixative for various applications.

By Region

• North America


• Europe


• Asia-Pacific


• Latin America


• Middle East & Africa

Regional Analysis

• North America: The regional market held the largest share in 2018 and is expected to witness healthy growth during the forecast period. The pharmaceutical industry in the region is expanding at a significant rate, which is projected to fuel the demand for glutaraldehyde. In addition, the increasing consumption of glutaraldehyde in animal housing applications is likely to boost the product demand in the region. In 2018, the US pharmaceutical market was valued at USD 464 billion.

• Europe: Increasing R&D has increased the demand for glutaraldehyde, which is projected to boost the regional market growth.

• Asia-Pacific: It is expected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the increasing investments in the healthcare sector, particularly in the emerging economies. Additionally, the increase in animal housing activities with the growing demand for dairy products is another factor likely to fuel the growth of the regional market. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2016, dairy production in the region was valued USD 110 billion, which is further expected increase by more than 120 million tons during the forecast period.

• Latin America: The growing healthcare industry is expected to contribute to the market growth in the region.

• Middle East & Africa: The use of glutaraldehyde as a microbicide in the wastewater treatment industry is increasing.

Key Players

• UPICHEM (US)—Uniglad 50


• Grassland Agro (Ireland)—Astican


• Advanced Sterilization Products (Cilag GmbH International) (US)—Cidex


• Whiteley Corporation (New Zealand)—Aidal


• Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. (India)—Aldecyde 28


• Lenntech B.V. (The Netherlands)—Biomate


• Dow (US)—AQUCA BP 10


• Hubei Jinghong Chemical Co., Ltd (China)


• Evans Vanodine International PLC (UK)—GPC8


• Finoric LLC (US)