The World Health Organization estimates that “at least 2 billion people across the world use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces”. It further states that the consumption of contaminated water can cause cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, polio, and typhoid. As per this organization, “contaminated drinking water is responsible for 485,000 diarrheal deaths each year”. The increasing concerns over waterborne diseases, owing to the rising public awareness about the detrimental impact of such diseases and the vitality of clean water, are, therefore, expected to create a huge requirement for water treatment chemicals worldwide.
Besides, the toughening government regulations on reducing water pollution will help the water treatment chemicals market accelerate at a CAGR of 5.2% during 2020–2030. The market revenue is expected to surge from $48,938.1 million in 2019 to $85,341.8 million by 2030. For instance, the U.S. federal government enacted the Clean Water Act to prohibit the release of polluted water from a point source into navigable water. Manufacturing plants, commercial structures, municipalities, and housing units must obtain clearances under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program before discharging waste into surface waters directly.
At present, anti-foaming agents, biocides and disinfectants, chelating agents, coagulants and flocculants, corrosion inhibitors, oxygen scavengers, oxidants, pH adjusters and stabilizers, and scale inhibitors are being used in the power generation, pulp and paper, oil and gas, municipal water treatment, metal and mining, food and beverages, construction, and chemical processing industries to treat wastewater. In the recent past, the municipal water treatment sector consumed the highest volume of such chemicals, due to the booming global population, which is generating excessive municipal waste.
The application segment of the water treatment chemicals market is classified into boiler, cooling, water desalination, effluent water treatment, raw water treatment, and others, such as distillation and influent water treatment. Among these, the raw water treatment category generated the highest revenue in 2019, and it is likely to continue this trend throughout the forecast period. The dominance of this category can be credited to the large-scale consumption of such chemicals for treating groundwater and water from infiltration wells, lakes, rivers, and seas.
In recent years, BASF SE, The Dow Chemical Company, SNF s.a.s., Solenis LLC, SUEZ, Buckman Laboratories International Inc., Solvay S.A., Kemira Oyj, Ecolab Inc., and Akzo Nobel N.V. have engaged in mergers and acquisitions to offer water treatment chemicals to a larger number of end users. For instance, Global Water Technology Inc. (GWT) completed the acquisition of Butler Chemical Company Inc., a water treatment company, in August 2019 to provide 175 additional chemicals in Indiana and Illinois in the U.S.
According to P&S Intelligence, Asia-Pacific held the largest share in the water treatment chemicals market in 2019, and it will maintain the lead throughout the forecast period. This can be owed to the soaring public demand for clean water, owing to the improving living standards of people and booming manufacturing sector in the region. In addition, the APAC region is also projected to witness the fastest growth in the forecast years, on account of the rising incidence of waterborne diseases, increasing number of government laws on water treatment, and growing public awareness about the vitality of clean water.
Thus, the mounting public concerns over waterborne diseases and increasing implementation of stringent regulations on water pollution mitigation will encourage the usage of water treatment chemicals worldwide.