Global Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination Market

The total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is valued at USD 7.21 billion in the year. Its market value is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6 % within the forecasted time horizon of 2020-2025 because of climatic change and drought), increasing urbanization & industrialization, ongoing decrease in freshwater, and high quality of water from the reverse osmosis technology.

However, environment issues associated with the disposal of the dense brine and short life span of the membrane might restrain the growth and development of this market. Its market value is expected to reach USD 11.93 billion by the end of the year 2025.

Definition / Scope
Market Overview
Market Risks
Top Market Opportunities
Market Drivers
Market Restraints
Industry Challenges
Technology Trends
Pricing Trends
Regulatory Trends
Market Size and Forecast
Market Outlook
Technology Roadmap
Distribution Chain Analysis
Competitive Factors
Key Market Players
Strategic Conclusion
References
Appendix

Definition / Scope

Reverse osmosis membrane is the thin semi-permeable membrane with small pores to pass the pure water by eliminating the impurities including the dissolved salts and bacteria. It is one of the water purification methods to filter the contaminants with the capacity to remove almost 90-99% of the contaminants and impurities from the water.

The desalination of the seawater is one of the major applications of the reverse osmosis technology. Almost 1% of the total global water demand has been met through the desalination process over the past few years.

The global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is concerned with the process of the seawater desalination process through the use of the reverse osmosis method.

On the basis of the application, the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is comprised of municipal, industrial and other segments

Market Overview

The total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is valued at USD 7.21 billion in the year 2020 and is expected to reach USD 7.97 billion in the year 2021. Its market value is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6 % within the forecasted time horizon of 2020-2025. Its market value is expected to reach USD 11.93 billion by the end of the year 2025.

Based on geography, the Middle East & African region is leading the global market with a market share of almost 59.72% of the total global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 4.3 billion in the year 2020.

Based on the application, the municipal segment is leading the market with a market share of almost 54.8% of the total global reverse osmosis seawater. market. The market size of this segment is valued at USD 3.95 billion in the year 2020.

Climatic change and its related natural disasters (drought), increasing urbanization and industrialization, ongoing decrease in freshwater and water shortage, and high quality of water from the reverse osmosis technology are the factors responsible for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

However, environment issues associated with the disposal of the dense brine and short life span of the membrane of the seawater might restrain the growth and development of this global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

The key market players engaged in the operation of this global reverse osmosis seawater market are Suez Veolia, The Dow Chemical Company, Doosan Heavy Industries & construction, TEMAK SA, ProMinent GmbH, Osmoflo Pty. Ltd., IDE Technologies, Hyflux Ltd, and Fisia italimpianti SPA.

Market Risks

Environment issues associated with the disposal of dense brine

The process of the desalination of the sea water leads to the accumulation of the dense brine with the salt concentration higher than 50 parts per thousand. The discharge of this highly dense brine directly in the environment adversely affect the plants and animals of the exposed region.

Its discharge in the land has the potential to increase the salinity of the inland soil and affects the biological ecosystem over there. Similarly, its disposal in the sea and other water sources can cause damage to the marine ecosystem. It might create the risk for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater market.

Top Market Opportunities

Climatic change and its related natural disasters (drought)

Globally, the use of climatic change is influencing the environment in the multiple ways. The major effects of climatic change are hotter temperature, more severe storms, increased drought, warming ocean food insecurity, etc. Here, increased drought is one of the important effects of the climatic change and rising temperature.

The warming condition has also diminished the snowfall in which almost 1.9 billion residents in the Northern Hemisphere are dependent on it as water reservoir. It has been estimated that the warming caused by human accounts for almost 46% of the severity of drought conditions.

In accordance to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change, the atmosphere is warming at a rate 0.9-degree Fahrenheit every year. Because of this, the drought related events are almost 1.7 times more likely to occur.

The increasing drought condition is increasing the demand for the fresh water and desalination of the seawater is one of the cost-efficient solutions to fulfill the demand of the fresh water. The climatic change and increase drought are creating a significant drive for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis desalination market.

Increasing urbanization and industrialization

Globally, the proportion of the urban population and number of the industries is in rising trend. At present, almost 55% of the population of the world are residing in the urban areas and it has been expected that the proportion of the urban population will increase up to almost 68% by the end of the year 2050.

Here, the proportion of the world population in urban areas has risen by almost 6-fold since the year 1950. Along with this, the global industrial service sector is also is in rising trend and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.12% within the forecasted time horizon of 2020-2025. Thus, increasing urbanization and industrialization is favoring the growth for the demand of the water globally.

Market Drivers

Ongoing decrease in freshwater and water shortage

Globally, almost 3% of the freshwater is available for the drinking and agricultural purposes in spite of the coverage of 71% of the surface of earth by the water resources. According to the report of UNICEF, almost 785 million population are lacking access to drinking water and almost 2,000 million population are using contaminated water for drinking purpose.

Similarly, since the year 1980, the consumption of the water is increasing at a rate of almost 1% annually due to rapid population growth and changing consumption pattern. It has been expected that almost 50% of the world population will face the water scarcity by the end of the year 2030.

The growing population and increasing demand for the freshwater is creating a significant opportunity for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

High quality of water from the reverse osmosis technology

The reverse osmosis technology applied for the desalination of the seawater possesses multiple number of the benefits such as less energy consumption, complete purification and finest water quality. Here, the efficiency of the reverse osmosis technology in terms of the quality of the water is one of the crucial utilities of this technology.

The reverse osmosis technology has the ample capacity to remove almost 99% of the total dissolved solids from the water. As a result, the delivered water is of high quality, pure and safe for the drinking purpose. So, the ability of the reverse osmosis technology to desalinate the water with high quality of water is driving the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

Market Restraints

Short life span of reverse osmosis membrane

The use of cellulose-based and thin film composite reverse osmosis membrane is susceptible to the fouling because of the saturation of the salt in its surface. Here, fouling can be either biological, colloidal, scaling or organic.

This fouling reduces the lifespan and flux of the reverse osmosis membrane. The lifetime of the reverse osmosis membrane element ranges from three to seven years in general. Because of this, the cost of the operation of the seawater desalination through the application of the reverse osmosis technology can be increased. It might restrain the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

Industry Challenges

Necessary of the pretreatment of the water

In the context of the using reverse osmosis, the pretreatment of the seawater is required as the membrane of the reverse osmosis is quite sensitive. Without the process of pretreatment, the membrane can become useless and with declining yield. In this context, the operation cost of the process of the desalination of the water using the reverse osmosis process might increase. So, it is quite challenging for the key market players to manage the pretreatment process and operational cost of the desalinated water.

Technology Trends

Adoption of new and advanced technologies is creating a favorable environment for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. Some of the key technological trends in this market are discussed as follows:

Fluorescence based technology: This technology adopted in the reverse osmosis technology in order to detect hidden operational problems and ensure optimal scale & fouling control. As a result, the efficiency of the reverse osmosis water treatment systems is enhanced. This technology is developed by Ondeo-Nalco and is entitled as RO Trasar.

Membrane Separation Technology: This technology used in the reverse osmosis assists to minimize industrial waste, wastewater and effluent. This separation technologies are effective for recovery and reuse of the water.

Pricing Trends

The price of the development of the reverse osmosis plant for the desalination of the seawater depends upon the type of technology, salt concentration, size and application of the plant.

For instance, the cost of the development of the medium size 10 MGD SWRO plant will cost USD 80 million while the cost of the development of the large plant of 35 MGD Carlsbad SWRO is almost USD 250 million. The cost of the desalination of the seawater through the use of the reverse osmosis technology is almost USD 750 an acre-foot.

Regulatory Trends

Some of the regulations directly or indirectly related to the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market are European Council Drinking Water Directive, European Council Drinking Water Directive, European Water Framework Directive, environmental impact assessment, etc.

Here, the standards are developed to ensure the safe consumption of the drinking water supplied to the consumers. However, no direct reference is made to the drinking water produced by the desalination process.

Market Size and Forecast

Based on geography

The Middle East & African region is leading the global market with a market share of almost 59.72% of the total global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 4.3 billion in the year 2020.
The North American region account for the market share of almost 13.88% of the total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 1 billion in the year 2020.
The Asian Pacific Region accounts for the market share of almost 12.5% of the total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 0.9 billion in the year 2020.
The European region accounts for the market share of almost 9.72% of the total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 0.7 billion in the year 2020.
The South American region accounts for the market share of almost 4.16% of the total market size of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market. The market size of this region is valued at USD 0.3 billion in the year 2020.

Based on the application

The municipal segment is leading the market with a market share of almost 54.8% of the total global reverse osmosis seawater market. The market size of this segment is valued at USD 3.95 billion in the year 2020.
The industrial segment accounts for the market share of almost 36.11% of the total global reverse osmosis seawater market. The market size of this segment is valued at USD 2.6 billion in the year 2020.

Market Outlook

The global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is expected to grow at the CAGR of 10.6% within the forecasted time horizon of 2020-2025 because of climatic change and its related natural disasters (drought), increasing urbanization and industrialization, ongoing decrease in freshwater and water shortage, and high quality of water from the reverse osmosis technology. Its market value will reach USD 11.93 billion by the end of the year 2025.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on global reverse osmosis desalination market

After the pandemic outbreak of the COVID-19 disease globally, the lockdown and social mobility restrictions were implemented to prevent and control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Because of this, the demand for the domestic water was increased while there was a decline in the demand for non-domestic water globally.

The execution of the strict social mobility measures has created the situation of the unavailability of workforce and halt the functioning of the industries. The construction projects related to the desalination plant was paused during the early initiation of COVID-19 pandemic. Later on, the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is regaining its growth and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6%.

Technology Roadmap

The major technological changes adopted in the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market are fluorescence-based technology, membrane separation technology, etc. The adoption of the digital technology in the desalination plants has improved the monitoring, process control and risk detection, minimize brine output and disposal and improving freshwater yield.

It has also improved energy efficiency and optimization of the energy consumption of the desalination systems. The utilization of new and advanced technologies is creating a favorable environment for the growth and development of the global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market.

Distribution Chain Analysis

The key stakeholders involved in the operation of this global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market are equipment manufacture & its assembly, reverse osmosis process, management of desalination byproduct, distributors, sales and end-users. Here, the major end-users are municipal, industrial and other sectors.

Competitive Factors

The key market players engaged in this global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market are competing for the product portfolio expansion, high investment in research and development activities, mergers & acquisitions, geographical expansion, and collaborations. For instance, in the year 2020, Toray Industries signed a contract with Quwain Desalination Plant and Al Dur 2 Desalination Plant for the supply of the reverse osmosis membrane.

Key Market Players

Suez: It is the one of the largest vertically integrated waste management companies specialized in the provision of the water management, waste management, and other related services.

Veolia: It is the French-based public company engaged in the provision and supply of water management, waste management and energy solutions in more than 48 countries.

The Dow Chemical Company: It is the US-based multinational company engaged in the manufacture of the plastics, chemicals, performance chemicals, catalysts, coatings, hydrocarbon exploration, and agricultural products.

Doosan Heavy Industries & construction: It is the South-Korea based heavy industrial company engaged in the manufacturing and construction of nuclear power plant, thermal power stations, turbines, generators, desalination plants, castings, etc.

TEMAK SA: It is the Greece-based company engaged in the provision of water treatment and desalination system, fluid control equipment and chemical additives.

ProMinent GmbH: It is the Germany-based company engaged in the provision of the environmentally friendly and economic water treatment and disinfection process with highest efficiency.

Osmoflo Pty. Ltd.: It is the Australia-based company specialized in desalination water treatment procedures and water recycling solutions.

IDE Technologies: It is the Israel-based company specialized in the water desalination process which was founded in the year 1965.

Strategic Conclusion

The global reverse osmosis seawater desalination market is growing at the CAGR of 10.6% within the forecasted time horizon of 2020-2025 because of climatic change and its related natural disasters (drought), increasing urbanization and industrialization, ongoing decrease in freshwater and water shortage, and high quality of water from the reverse osmosis technology.

References

Appendix

RO= Reverse osmosis
USD= United States Dollar
CAGR= Compound Annual Growth Rate