Ultrafiltration Market Expected to Reach $3.7 Billion by 2031—Allied Market Research

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Ultrafiltration Market," The ultrafiltration market was valued at $1.5 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $3.7 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2022 to 2031.

Ultrafiltration is a purification process in which the liquid containing fine and ultrafine particulates are forced through a semipermeable membrane. The suspended solids or high-molecular-weight solutes remain on one side of the membrane, called the retentate side, while water and low-molecular-weight solutes get filtered through the membrane to the other side, known as permeate side.

The increase in the severity of diseases has led the pharmaceutical sector to witness significant growth where ultrafiltration is used for producing ultrapure water, which is further used for producing various medicinal formulations. In addition, the rise in awareness toward skincare, beauty, and lifestyle has surged the demand for personal care & cosmetic products where ultrafiltration is used for water purification purposes, which is further used in various cosmetic formulations. These factors are expected to contribute to the growth of the ultrafiltration market size during the forecast period.

However, the high costs associated with the formulation of ultrafiltration in personal care products and the unavailability of quality ultrafiltration are a few of the restraints that may hamper the growth of the ultrafiltration industry during the forecast period. On the contrary, the increasing trends toward packaging food products are anticipated to open up new opportunities for the ultrafiltration market in the coming future.

The ultrafiltration market analysis is conducted on the basis of type, module, application, and region. The ultrafiltration market forecast is conducted on the basis of the evergrowing demand for clean drinking water in different regions across the globe, coupled with growing requirements in the industries to recycle and reuse water.

By type, the market is segregated into polymeric and ceramic. The polymeric segment dominated the global market in terms of revenue in 2021, with 58.15% of the total share. This is attributed to the fact that in polymeric ultrafiltration membranes, the specific polymers used are typically polysulfone (PS) and polyethersulfone (PES). These polymers are widely used for various separation processes such as clarification of fractionation and are ideally suited for ultrafiltration (UF). Moreover, there are several advantages associated with the use of polymeric ultrafiltration membrane such as minimized waste generation, lower energy consumption, low cost of operation, low maintenance, and less capital investment.

By module, the market is divided into hollow fiber, plate & frame, and tubular. The hollow fiber segment dominated the global market in terms of revenue in 2021, with 42.37% of the total share. This is attributed to the fact that hollow fiber ultrafiltration module provides effective way to purify water by causing a physical barrier in a hollow dimensional shape for removing pathogens and bacteria from wastewater. There are certain advantages associated with the use of hollow fiber ultrafiltration module such as no chemical requirement, highly efficient, retains natural minerals, and others. These modules have led the end use sectors such as beverage manufacturing, chemical plants, and others to use hollow fiber ultrafiltration module for wastewater treatment activities.

By application, the market is divided into municipal treatment and industrial treatment. The industrial treatment segment dominated the global market in terms of revenue in 2021, with 64.76% of the total share. This is attributed to the fact that ultrafiltration process is widely employed in industrial treatments for pre-filtration in reverse osmosis plants in order to separate the fine and ultrafine particles from the feed water or wastewater. It is an effective means for reducing the silt density index of water, which in turn reduces the fouling in reverse osmosis process. In this way, ultrafiltration enhances the shelf life of reverse osmosis membranes. Furthermore, ultrafiltration is widely used in various end use industries such as ultrapure water production in electronics sector, battery manufacturing, plastic & polymers sectors, beverage & juice production, and others.

Region-wise, the ultrafiltration market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The Asia-Pacific ultrafiltration market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, and accounted for a major ultrafiltration market share in 2021. The utilization of ultrafiltration process in sectors such as pulp & paper manufacturing, textiles, cosmetic manufacturing, and others have surged the popularity of ultrafiltration market in the region.

Key players operating in the global ultrafiltration market include, AECOM, Applied Membranes, Inc., Aquatech International LLC, Berghof Membrane Technology GmbH (BMT), DuPont, FUMATECH BWT GmbH, Genex Utility, Merck KGaA, Pall Corporation, Pentair plc, Sterlitech Corporation, SUEZ, Synder Filtration, Inc., The 3M Company, AND Trucent.

COVID-19 analysis

The Ultrafiltration market was moderately impacted due to the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for ultrafiltration among sectors such as pharmaceutical, food & beverages, and others maintained the position of the ultrafiltration market during the COVID-19 situation. For instance, according to an article published by India Brands Equity Foundation, the Indian pharmaceutical industry was valued at $42 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to reach $120-130 billion by 2030. Thus, growth in pharmaceutical sectors where ultrafiltration is widely used for producing pure and ultrapure water that is further used for producing various pharmaceutical formulations may enhance the performance of the ultrafiltration market.

Key findings of the study

• By type, the polymeric segment is estimated to display the highest growth rate, in terms of revenue, registering a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2031.
• By module, the hollow fiber segment is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period.
• By application, the industrial treatment segment is estimated to display the highest growth rate, in terms of revenue, registering a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2031.
• By region, Asia-Pacific garnered the highest share of 43.8% in 2021, in terms of revenue, growing at a CAGR of 9.9%.