Flocculants Market Size, Share, Opportunities, COVID-19 Impact, And Trends By Type (Organic, Inorganic), By Application (Water Treatment, Mineral Processing, Food Processing, Others), By Industry Vertical (Food & Beverage, Mining, Oil & Gas, Others), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2023 To 2028

Flocculants are chemicals that help in removing suspended solid particles through contaminant aggregation. The chemicals find major applicability in wastewater treatment, clarification, and solid removal, owing to which they are highly demanded in the oil & gas, mining, and food & beverage sector. The growing productivity of these sectors is providing a major push to the flocculants market demand. Furthermore, the growing establishments of wastewater treatment plants and investments in the same to fulfill the growing demand for clean drinking water by the people are acting like a driving force. For instance, as per the statement issued by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications of Paraguay, in December 2022, the country opened its new wastewater treatment plant in San Lorenzo, which forms the part of Comprehensive Sanitation Program for the Bay and Metropolitan Area. Moreover, in July 2021, Lenzing Group announced investments of €23.3 million to build a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant in Grimsby, UK. Furthermore, in December 2021, the European Investment Bank announced an investment of €19.8 million in the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and extension of the existing one in Kosovo’s municipality of Mitrovica.

Based on industry vertical, the flocculants market is segmented into food & beverage, mining, oil & gas, and others. The oil & gas sector is projected to hold a decent market share during the forecast period in the flocculants market. Flocculants have high demand in the oil & gas sector as they are used in wastewater treatment which is produced during crude oil extraction. The growing demand for crude oil globally has increased its overall production volume. For instance, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in September 2022, crude oil production in the United States stood at 12.2 million barrels per day showing an increase of 12.9%in comparison to 10.9 barrels per day produced in 2021 for the same month. Furthermore, as per the same source, in June 2022 China’s crude oil production witnessed 1.5% growth in comparison to 2021 for the same month. Such an increase in crude oil production will increase the amount of wastewater, thereby boosting the demand for flocculants in the oil & gas sector for wastewater treatment.

The bolstering growth in mineral mining output is positively impacting the flocculants market. Flocculants in the mining sector are used in the treatment of water used during the mineral extraction and floatation process. The industrial demand for minerals has shown a significant increase over the years owing to which mineral mining output has also increased. For instance, according to the Ministry of Mine’s latest report, in September 2022, India’s mineral production increased by 4.6% in comparison to 2021 for the same month. Furthermore, according to Canada.ca which is the official site for the government, in 2021, mineral production in Canada stood at $55.5 billion which represented an increase of 20% over 2020’s $46.4 billion value. Moreover, as per the Mineral Council of South Africa, in 2021, the country’s mineral production exceeded R1 trillion achieving a record value. With such an increase in mineral production, the demand and usage of flocculants for mineral processing application is also expected to increase, thereby boosting the overall market growth in the future.

Recent developments

• Kemira, in May 2022, launched its bio-flocculants product called “Superfloc® BioMB” which is the world’s first line of biomass-balanced flocculants. The product in comparison to fossil-based water treatment solutions offers much more reliable and sustainable performance for water utilities.
• Hymo Corporation and MT AquaPolymer Inc, in October 2020, signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation to acquire the polymer flocculant business of the company. The addition of polymer flocculants improved the company’s water treatment solution product portfolio.

Covid-19 Impact on the Flocculants Market

The flocculants market saw a decline in its market growth during the COVID pandemic as the lockdown restrictions, and regulations on trade & raw material supplies decreased the production output of major end users of flocculants such as oil & gas and mining. For instance, according to the 2021 Annual Statistical Bulletin launched by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, global crude oil production declined by 6.15 million barrels per day in 2020, which represented a decrease of 8.2% in comparison to 2019’s per-day production. Also, as per the same source, the global oil demand fell by 9.3 million barrels per day due to the pandemic. Furthermore, major mining countries reported a decrease in their output. For instance, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2020, China’s mining production declined by 6.5% in January and 2.6% in July. Also, as per the U.S Geological Survey, in 2020, US mines produced nonfuel minerals worth US$82.3 billion which saw a decline of US$ 41.5 billion in comparison to US$83.7 billion produced in 2019. However, with the government showing ease in restrictions, the productivity of such major end users is showing a steady increase which will further enhance in the future, thereby positively impacting flocculant’s demand as it is used in the oil & gas and mining sector for wastewater treatment.

Flocculants Market Scope:

Market Segmentation:

• By Type
  • Organic
  • Inorganic
• By  Application
  • Water Treatment
  • Mineral Processing
  • Food Processing
  • Others
• By Industry Vertical
  • Food & Beverage
  • Mining
  • Oil & Gas
  • Others
• By Geography
  • North America
    • USA
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • France
    • United Kingdom
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Israel
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • India
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Taiwan
    • Others