Report Overview

With rising demand from various industries and municipalities, the water treatment chemicals market is expanding at a rapid pace. This factor is likely to play a major role in propelling the global water treatment chemicals market over the forecast period.

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market- Industry Trends & Forecast Report 2027

The global water treatment chemicals market was worth USD 35.1 billion in 2020 and is further projected to reach USD 65.2 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 8.90% during the forecast period (2021-2027). With rising demand from various industries and municipalities, the water treatment chemicals market is expanding at a rapid pace. This factor is likely to play a major role in propelling the global water treatment chemicals market over the forecast period. Furthermore, the market growth can be attributed to a significant increase in the number of industries and manufacturing units. Additionally, sugar, petrochemicals, manufacturing, and geothermal power generation plants are being developed to boost the economy, especially in developing countries. These factors are driving the growth of the water treatment industry.

Source: Blueweave Consulting

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market- Overview

With the growth of the manufacturing sector, water waste has become one of the most pressing issues facing both developed and emerging economies. Numerous government and non-government organizations are taking stringent measures and actively participating to save fresh water and natural resources. For instance, average high-income countries treat about 70% of the wastewater they generate, while upper-middle-income countries treat 38% of wastewater and lower-middle-income countries only treat 28%. According to UNESCO, over 80% of wastewater is released into the environment without being properly treated. Moreover, around 1.8 billion people drink polluted water, putting them at risk of contracting diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. As a result, demand for wastewater treatment chemicals will grow globally as consumers become more conscious of natural resource depletion and freshwater shortages in developing countries.

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market Forecast and Trends

Growth Drivers

Increasing Urbanization Driving the Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market Forward

Fulfilling industrial and domestic consumption needs solely with freshwater resources would have a direct impact on water bodies, reducing their natural replenishment capacity. Thus, to meet the water demands, reusing and recycling of water has become an inevitable step that every country has to take. That’s the reason why the application of water treatment chemicals is rising across the globe. Given the current global situation, demand for water treatment chemicals is expected to skyrocket in the coming years. Furthermore, several countries, especially from the Asia-Pacific or Middle Eastern regions are adopting the desalination process to address water scarcity issues and meet the demands, especially in their urban cities.

Expanding End-User Segments Will Surge the Demand for Water Treatment Chemicals

The emerging economies are establishing more and more production and manufacturing units to support and fuel their overall development and growth. However, as a result of this factor, water demand has risen to the point that it is getting difficult meet their demand. The effective reuse and recycling of water using water treatment chemicals and processes is being promoted in the emerging economies to ensure a constant supply of water to power the production units. Several plants, such as those in the oil and gas industry, mining, chemicals, and power generation, need more water than others. As a result, the market for water treatment chemicals in developing countries is growing faster than in developed countries.

Restraints

The prevalence of water treatment technology may hamper the growth of the Market

The market has witnessed a substantial shift towards sustainable water treatment options like RO filtration and UV (ultraviolet) disinfection. This is due to growing concerns about the environment and the conservation of water resources. Furthermore, due to regulatory policies, many industries and manufacturing units are opting for these physical water treatment technologies to reduce the chemical amount. To treat and purify water, RO technology employs semi-permeable membranes to eliminate larger particles. UV too is a chemical-free technology, effectively replacing the usage of chlorine as a water disinfectant. This is considerately hampering the global water treatment chemicals market.

Impact of Covid-19 on Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market

The COVID-19-induced pandemic has had a negative impact on the global water treatment industry. Water treatment chemicals are largely used by industrial and processing units, commercial spaces, residential, and so on. However, since the lockout was enforced to avoid the spread of viruses, these industrial and commercial spaces were forced to temporarily cease operations. This has resulted in a decline in the usage of water treatment chemicals to a great extent. Furthermore, the production was ceased too due to the non-availability of manpower as well as raw materials. The supply chains were also blocked, due to which the ongoing demands could not be met. However, in the view of the pandemic, people are getting more aware of their hygiene, due to which the daily average water usage of a person is increasing. As a result, it is estimated that the global water treatment chemicals market is going to catch its pace again in the post-COVID-19 period.

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market - By Type

Based on products, the global water treatment chemical market is categorized into flocculants, coagulants, corrosion inhibitors, biocides and disinfectants, scale inhibitors, pH adjusters, and others. Coagulants and Flocculants held the largest market share with revenue of USD 35.1 billion in the year 2020. This is due to the fact that sedimentation is a critical step in the water treatment process. Coagulation and flocculants help the finer particles settle down to make it easy to separate them from water. Moreover, biocides and disinfectants are also emerging as potential product types and are expected to witness expansion in their market during the forecast period.  

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market - By End-User

Based on the end-user segment, the market is categorized into municipal, power generation, oil and gas, chemicals manufacturing, mining and mineral process, food & beverages. The municipality emerged as the largest market with revenue share of USD 35.1 billion in the year 2020. As the world's population grows, so does the amount of municipal waste generated. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of water treatment chemicals for municipal water treatment. Furthermore, as the world's population continues to expand, the demand for such chemicals for municipal water treatment is expected to rise.

Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market - Regional Insights

Geographically, the global water treatment chemical market is segmented into North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, North America held the largest market with an overall revenue of USD 35.1 billion in year 2020. There are various factors responsible for this dominance. Government regulations play a major role in the market growth in North America as the governments of the region are continuously monitoring the production and disposal of wastewater in water bodies. Technological advancements have also favored the market and are expected to propel the market at a CAGR of 8.9% in the forecast period.                               
Competitive Landscape

The key players of global water treatment chemical market are Ecolab, Solenis, Kurita Water Industries Ltd., Kemira, Suez, Lonza, Cortec Corporation, Danaher, BWA Water Additives US LLC, Buckman, Akzo Nobel N.V., Thermax Ltd., Carus Groups, Hydrite Chemicals Co., Solvay, Dow Chemical Company, Veolia, Somicon ME FZC, Cortec Corporation, and other prominent players.

Water treatment chemicals have a highly integrated market. It means that these companies use extensive distribution channels to distribute their products across multiple regions, both domestically and internationally. These businesses work on a contract basis with raw material manufacturers. They are also in close contact with direct and third-party suppliers to ensure a steady supply of their goods to a vast end-user base. Furthermore, the major players in this industry have a monopoly in terms of product production, distribution, and consumption. Since these firms aim to cut costs via an in-house distribution system, which also allows them the ability to control commodity prices, the competition is much denser.

Recent Developments

• In April 2021, a wastewater management company, called I-Phyc developed an innovative treatment technology to treat wastewater using algae. The company intends to use the natural potential of algae to reduce the amount of phosphorus and ammonia in wastewater so that it can be disposed of in water bodies. They aim to make the water-recycling process sustainable so as to reduce their carbon footprints. What’s more, their technique of wastewater management is also cost-effective.  

• In April 2021, Enva, an Ireland-based resource management company announced its partnership with Amiad Water Systems, an Israel-based water cleaning, and filtration providing company. This partnership will make Enva the sole product distributor for Amlad in the United States. This will also help in amplifying the customer base for Enva as they can expand their services in a cost-efficient way.

Scope of the Report

By Type

• • Flocculants

  • Coagulants

  • Corrosion Inhibitors

  • Biocides & Disinfectants

  • Scale Inhibitors

  • pH-Adjusters

  • Others

By End User

• • Municipal

  • Power Generation

  • Oil and Gas

  • Chemicals Manufacturing

  • Mining and Mineral Process

  • Food & Beverages

  • Others

By Region

• • North America

  • Europe

  • The Asia-Pacific

  • Latin America

  • Middle East and Africa