Rapid growth in water disinfection markets

London, UK — Stringent legislation in response to growing concerns about water pollution and the spread of water-borne diseases is driving rapid growth the water and wastewater disinfection systems market, says a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. The report, titled European Water & Wastewater Disinfection Systems Market, forecasts sales to exceed $700 million by 2013, compared to $486 million last year.

EU legislation aimed at enforcing compulsory disinfection of water and wastewater in the municipal sector with high purity process water being the key driver for disinfection in key industrial sectors, particularly in industries such as food and beverages and pharmaceuticals.

Opportunities in the industrial sector will also increase as the trend for industrial plants to set-up onsite water treatment plants instead of using public utilities for process water needs, becomes more prevalent, F&S research analyst Ajay Richard said in the report.

Alongside the market growth opportunities, Richard said participants are seeking advantage by providing extra services along such as monitoring disinfection systems, engineering expertise and personnel training, as well as linking disinfection with other projects of the particular end user.

“The leading disinfection equipment suppliers who have the means to incorporate other water treatment services in their portfolio could benefit from doing this,” said the F&S expert. “Companies could also strategically position themselves by customising products to better meet the needs of their clients.”

Overall, Richard noted a shift away from conventional chlorination methods and toward technologies such as UV, ozonation, advanced chlorine dioxide-based disinfection, electrolytic chlorination and even membranes.

Current use of conventional chlorination methods such as chlorine gas and liquid chlorine is high, but their revenues could be affected due to the increasing concerns on the harmful effects due to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), he said.

Formation of DBPs in conventional chlorine disinfection is likely to drive demand for UV, ozonation, and chlorine dioxide-based disinfection in the municipal drinking water segment, said the F&S report. UV systems, it added, are offering particularly strong competition to the chlorine-based compounds market.

Likewise, use of chlorine dioxide-based disinfection and electrolytic chlorination is also expected to increase as these methods require less chlorine and form relatively low amounts of chlorination by-products in the water, according to F&S.

On a regional basis, the report said Central and Eastern European and Iberian markets are gearing up for high growth in the municipal drinking water segment while the large industrial areas of Germany, France and the UK should offer significant opportunities for advanced disinfection technologies.