Water Treatment Chemicals Market Global Information by Type (Corrosion Inhibitors, Coagulants & Flocculants, Scale Inhibitors and Biocides & Disinfectants), by Application (Municipal Water Treatment Plant, Chemical Processing, Power Generation and others), Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2030

Water Treatment Chemicals Market Overview

The global water treatment chemicals market has a CAGR of 6.90%. The water treatment chemicals market value is projected to be USD 69.23 billion in 2030. The chemicals used to treat water are invaluable because they make water safe to drink by removing and killing off dangerous particles and pathogens. These include solids, algae, heavy metals, deadly bacteria, minerals, and deadly viruses.

These chemicals also maintain the pH balance of water by making it less basic in nature. Many manufacturing plants need lots of water to operate. This is also the case with power generation plants. For example, power plants need lots of water to treat the ash that is created from generating power. They also need lots of water to generate enough power in the first place. They need water to filter gas and flue systems and to cool the equipment that generates the power.

COVID-19 analysis

COVID-19 is to the 21st century what the Black Death was to the 14th - a dangerous virus that is changing the destiny of humanity. Because COVID-19 has made many people very sick and has even resulted in some deaths, governments have instituted lockdowns and quarantines. These were temporary since they had limited effect. Many industries and markets suffered tremendously as a result of being forced to temporarily shut down or dramatically scale back operations.

The water treatment chemicals market was one of these unfortunate markets. By being forced to shut down or dramatically scale back operations to comply with strict government regulations, many companies found that they were unable to generate the water supply that their general populations needed. This raised the price of water per unit.

Market dynamics

Drivers

The water treatment chemicals market drivers the fact that agricultural sectors around the world are growing dramatically, especially in India. This sector relies heavily on sugar and ethanol-based fertilizer to maximize crop output. Water is needed to create these types of fertilizers. Geothermal power generation and petrochemical mining and refining industries also rely heavily on good water to operate efficiently and optimize output.

The industry also uses lots of water. It pollutes it too. The water treatment chemicals neutralize the pollution in the water so that it is safe for humans and animals to drink.

Opportunities

Many companies in the water treatment chemicals market are seeing that it’s very lucrative. They are responding accordingly by investing heavily in research and development that will neutralize more water faster and will be safe around humans and animals.

Restraints

What’s holding growth back in the market is the fact that these chemicals are expensive to make and use.

Challenges

Perhaps the greatest challenge that companies in the water treatment chemicals market face lie in creating a new generation of chemicals that are more effective, more cost-effective, and are safer around humans and animals.

Cumulative growth analysis

The CAGR for the water treatment chemicals market is 6.90%. The market is expected to be worth USD 69.23 billion in 2030.

Technology analysis

DuPont is a major American company. It has managed to retain a high profile in the water treatment chemicals industry by investing heavily in research and development. This has allowed it to develop a new generation of chemicals that are more effective, have a lower price point, and are safer for animals and humans.

Segment overview

By type

The water treatment chemicals market can be grouped into the following sub-segments by type:

• Coagulants and flocculants


• Corrosion inhibitors


• Biocides and disinfectants


• Scale inhibitors

The biocides and disinfectants sub-segment has the highest CAGR in the water treatment chemicals market. The reason being that many developing nations are rapidly industrializing. Therefore, their water supplies are becoming highly polluted. This presents the perfect breeding ground for deadly pathogens and viruses.

These chemicals also ensure that the manufacturing process proceeds smoothly. This sub-segment has the second-highest market share for this reason.

The coagulants and flocculants sub-sector had the highest market share in 2019. It was above 35% then. These chemicals are primarily used to treat water that’s used to produce oil and gas. When done correctly, these chemicals adhere to and remove 95% of the particles found in this type of water.

By application

The water treatment chemicals market can be grouped into the following sub-segments by application:

• The municipal water treatment plant


• Chemical processing


• Power generation


• Others

The municipal water treatment plan has the highest CAGR in the application sub-segment. The reason for this is that many national governments are concerned about the ready supply of fresh drinking water.

Also, many developed nations, primarily those in North America and The European Union have issues with the scarcity of quality drinking water. They see recycling wastewater as a key solution to this. Hence the demand for water treatment chemicals in municipal water treatment plants is growing exponentially.

Many municipal water treatment plants in developed nations are being asked to process the wastewater that is produced by manufacturing and other related processes.

Regional analysis

The water treatment chemicals market can be broken down into five regions:

• Asia-Pacific


• North America


• Latin America


• The European Union


• The Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa will see a high CAGR mainly because there’s a lot of oil and gas in this region. Hence, the intensive exploration activities require the usage of a lot of clean water.

The Middle East and North Africa are primarily desert regions where good sources of natural drinking water are scarce. Most of these governments are turning to the Arabian Sea to meet their drinking water needs. The issue is that this water is highly saline and needs to be processed in order to be safe to drink. Hence the water treatment chemicals market growth rate is likely to be extremely high in the future.

The European Union has a lot of manufacturing plants. These need large amounts of decent water to operate optimally. They also discharge a lot of wastewater with dangerous chemicals and pollutants. This water needs to be neutralized with water treatment chemicals.

The chemicals processing sector is growing in the North American region. This sector requires a great deal of water treatment chemicals to neutralize the wastewater that processing chemicals produce. The North American region had the highest water treatment chemicals market share. The reason for this is increased oil exploration in America. This has yielded many domestic sources of natural gas and oil. The result has been the increased usage of water to extract these resources. Oil and natural gas producers need to use water treatment chemicals to neutralize this wastewater.

The CAGR in America is projected to be 2.4%/. What attributes this is the fact that government regulations for treating and disposing of wastewater are becoming stricter. The United States of America currently is the world’s largest consumer of energy. Unfortunately, the energy generation process creates a lot of dangerous wastewater. This wastewater must be neutralized by water treatment chemicals before it can be released.

Populations in the Asia-Pacific region are exploding. This is creating unprecedented demand for clean drinking water. However, water pollution that is caused by various human activities is challenging. Many governments are responding by requiring industries to use water treatment chemicals more often when treating wastewater. The nations that are doing this extensively are India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea.

Competitive landscape

There may be significant barriers to entry but the water treatment chemicals market, in general, is lucrative. Many companies are already in or entering the water treatment chemicals market. That’s why competition is stiff. Companies are finding that they can survive only if they invest heavily in research and development, merge with or acquire other successful companies, or enter into strategic partnerships with other successful companies.

Baker Hughes is a successful American company. It has managed to become successful by investing heavily in research and development. Thus, it was able to market more effective water treatment chemicals that are safer around humans and animals.

List of companies

• BASF SE (Germany),


• Kemira OYJ (Finland),


• Lanxess (Germany),


• DuPont (US),


• Akzo Nobel NV (Netherlands),


• Solenis LLC (US),


• Ecolab Inc (US),


• Baker Hughes (US),


• Suez SA (France) and


• Lonza Group (Switzerland)

Recent developments

Report overview