Flocculants & Coagulants Market by Type (Flocculants [Anionic, Cationic, Non-Ionic], Coagulants [Organic, Inorganic]), by Application (Water & Waste Water Treatment, Oil & Gas, Mineral & Extraction, Pulp & Paper), by Geography (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa) – Global Market Size, Share, Development, Growth, and Demand Forecast, 2013–2023

Flocculants and Coagulants Market Overview

The global flocculants and coagulants market was valued at $10,270.2 million in 2017 and is projected to reach $14,225.3 million by 2023, witnessing a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. The market growth is driven by factors such as continual population growth surging the demand for clean water, and increasing adoption of desalination worldwide.

GLOBAL FLOCCULANTS AND COAGULANTS MARKET, BY TYPE, KILOTONS (2013-2023)

Flocculants and coagulants are water treatment chemicals that are used for removing solids from water. Flocculant are substances that promote the clumping of particles which enhance the ability of a waste water treatment process, while coagulants are substances that neutralize electrical charges present in water and aggregate dissolved contaminants to form larger particles that can be removed by filtration, clarification, or any other solid removal process.

Based on type, the flocculants and coagulants market is categorized into coagulants and flocculants. Flocculants type was the larger revenue-generating category in the market, accounting for more than 55.0% share in 2017. The larger share of this type is attributable to the fact that flocculation process makes filtration or separation of solids from liquid quite easy as compared to coagulants. During flocculation process, the solution is mixed gently, so that the small clumps formed during coagulation process, aggregate together and form larger clumps. These large clumps easily settle down and thus can be separated.

Flocculants type is further categorized into anionic, cationic, and non-ionic types in the flocculants and coagulants market. Cationic type is expected to be the fastest growing category in the market, during the forecast period, in terms of value. Cationic flocculants are increasingly being utilized in the food and beverage industry for treating waste water and mining applications, driving their demand in the market. Coagulants are further categorized into organic and inorganic in the market. Inorganic coagulants were the larger type in the market in 2017. The growth of this type can be attributed to its low cost and wide applicability across all end-use industries.

Based on application, the flocculants and coagulants market are categorized into water and waste water treatment, oil and gas, mineral and extraction, pulp and paper, and others. The other application areas include agriculture and medical. Water and waste water treatment was the largest application area in the market, contributing more than 55.0% revenue in 2017. The largest share of the category is attributable to the increase in demand for coagulants and flocculants in municipal water treatment and stringent government regulations regarding usage of water for public health.

Globally, APAC was the largest revenue-generating region in the flocculants and coagulants market, contributing more than 40.0% revenue share in 2017. APAC is expected to witness immense growth owing to growing demand for coagulants and flocculants chemicals from expanding chemical industries and high industrial output coupled with rapid economic growth in this region. Additionally, the chemicals demand in diverse industries such as oil and gas, metal, and food and beverage are further anticipated to drive the market growth in the region.

Flocculants and Coagulants Market Dynamics

Trends

The flocculants and coagulants market has witnessed a shift from traditional product to more technically advance product since the last decade. The traditional product such as alum and chlorine are being replaced by the more technically advanced coagulants and flocculants in water treatment processes. This is due to their better performance and cost-effectiveness. Also due to the growing concern of the use of chlorine by the environmentalist, use of eco-friendly products and services is on the rise. Hence, all these benefits have resulted in an increasing adoption of advanced coagulants and flocculants chemicals over the traditional water treatment chemicals in the market.

Drivers

Increase in population leads industrialization and urbanization which cause environmental problems, directly affecting the quality of the water supply. As per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are globally 1.1 billion people that are not having access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people experiencing inadequate sanitation supplies causing the death of nearly 3,900 children daily from waterborne diseases. This calls for the need of water treatment resources. Hence, growing population propels the demand of clean water which in turn drives the flocculants and coagulants market growth, globally.

Restraints

There are several emerging technologies used to treat drinking water, such as membrane filtration technology, high-pressure membranes, two-stage membrane filtration, ultraviolet irradiation technology, advanced oxidation technology, ion exchange technology, and biological filtration. Technologies which can be used in industries as alternatives to water treatment chemicals include granular activated carbon, adsorption technique to treat waste water, oil-water separator treatment of oily effluent, fixed biofilm reactor, electrosorption, aerobic treatment, integrated treatment process, and wetland to treat industrial waste water. These techniques pose major restraining factor to the flocculants and coagulants market.

Flocculants and Coagulants Market Competitive Landscape

Some of the major players operating in the global flocculants and coagulants market are BASF SE, Kemira Oyj, SUEZ, Evonik Industries AG, Akzo Nobel N.V., Ecolab Inc., SNF s.a.s., Solvay SA, Feralco AB, Chinafloc, National Aluminium Company Limited, National Aluminium Company Limited, and Kurita Water Industries Ltd.