The Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) Market is expected to witness robust growth over the forecast period.
Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene is a chemical and plastic component manufactured using injection molding or extrusion molding technology by chemical manufacturing companies to be applied for several processes, such as the manufacture of films, sheets, tubes, wires, cables, and coatings to be used across a wide range of industries including nuclear, medical, aerospace, defence, construction, and automotive fields.
Ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene are the copolymers that are moderately fluorinated to create the fluorine-based plastic called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene whose first commercial production originated at DuPont during the 1970s. The rising demand for ETFE materials in certain industries such as horticulture, nuclear, and construction sectors is expected to propel the growth of the ethylene tetrafluoroethylene market over the forecast period.
The constant research and development activities by farming and horticultural companies are resulting in the advancement of greenhouse technology. For instance, AppHarvest, the biggest greenhouse in the US with the ability to produce vegetables by consuming 90% less water than conventional farming methods, was launched in November 2020. The rise in the innovation of greenhouse technology encourages new entrants into the greenhouse market and offers an opportunity for the consumption of ETFE by creating new greenhouses. For example, the Ackerlei Biolandbetrieb business in Germany opened a new greenhouse facility in March 2022, equipped with a slim ETFE film, F-Clean, manufactured by the AGC Chemicals Americas Company. In addition, the RIPEHouse project conducted by the Crop Health and Protection Solutions Organization revealed the crop yield benefits of replacing the glass with ethylene tetrafluoroethylene material in greenhouses in October 2022, which is encouraging the commercial manufacture of ETFE for greenhouses.
The growth in consumption of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene in the construction and architecture sector can be attributed to its self-cleaning qualities. The installation of ETFE films as a surface structure facilitates the cleaning of dirt and dust from surfaces only by using external forces such as wind and rain. For instance, a significant part of the Wildlife Explorers Basecamp constructed by the San Diego Zoo in March 2022 employed ethylene tetrafluoroethylene material. In addition, an increasing number of stadiums around the world are consuming ETFE foils due to their light and weather-resistance properties.
The use of ETFE by famous architectural building designs such as the So-Fi stadium, Beijing National Aquatics Center, Shanghai Disney Resort Tomorrowland, the U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Estadio Cuauhtémoc stadium in Mexico is encouraging the construction of new stadiums using ETFE materials. For instance, the Chongqing Longxing football stadium, constructed in 2022, utilized ETFE roofing membrane materials to cover its entire stadium of 30,000 sq. meters. The employment of ETFE can lower expenses by 10% in small-scale construction projects, while in large-scale projects, the expense reduction can amount to up to 60%. In construction projects, ETFE films can be integrated through the welding process at installation, which lowers construction costs further. Therefore, the rise in architectural designs adopting ETFE membrane and film solutions is driving the demand for ETFE in the construction sector.
The ethylene tetrafluoroethylene market in the Asia Pacific region is promoted by the increasing development in its nuclear industry. The World Nuclear Organization revealed that the nuclear industry in Asian economies is witnessing enormous development due to the presence of approximately 140 working nuclear reactors. In addition, China and India, countries in the region, are emerging as nuclear countries since China is constructing 22 new nuclear reactors and has further planned the construction of 46 more reactors. Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene is extensively used in the nuclear sector for producing cables and wires to be used in nuclear plants. Therefore, the development in the nuclear industry of the region offers an opportunity for the expansion of the ethylene tetrafluoroethylene market over the forecast period.
Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) Market Segmentation: