ReportLinker의 보고서에 따르면 미국 수처리 화학 제품에 대한 수요는 2019년 73억 달러로 3.2% 증가할 전망이다. 수요의 상승은 기관에 따라 화학 관련 전처리 방식에 의한 물재활용·물재사용을 위한 연료로 사용될 수 있다.

ReportLinker는 특정 화학 물질이 환경에 미치는 영향을 우려해 공정수 및 페수 품질, 에 대한 엄격한 기준을 적용한다고 밝혔다. 노출된 양이 적을 때 덜 유해하며, 더 많은 비용이 소요되는 화학제품을 선호할 것이다. ReportLinker의 예상에 따르면 소독 장비의 사용 증가에 의해 살생물제(biocide)의 수요 성장은 제한될 것으로 보인다.

Demand for water treatment chemicals in the US will rise 3.2% a year to US$ 7.3 billion by 2019, according to a report by market researcher, ReportLinker.

Rising demand will be fuelled by an increase in water recycling and reuse and associated chemical pretreatment according to the research firm.

ReportLinker said tighter standards for process water and wastewater quality, and concerns about the environmental impact of certain chemicals, will continue to favour more expensive specialty chemicals that can be used in lower doses and are less hazardous.

Growth in biocide demand will be limited by the increased use of disinfection equipment the analyst forecasted according to ReportLinker. It said biocide demand will be restrained by changing regulations and public opinion. It said municipal market, disinfection byproduct regulations have reined in biocide use,

And it expected demand for corrosion and scale inhibitors, foam control agents, and chelating agents to be lifted by growing need for pretreatment particularly, for coagulants and flocculants in membrane- based processes.

The majority of demand for chemicals will come from the municipal and manufacturing markets where slow-to-change usage will ensure there will be "steady gains going forward, on pace with the increases seen over the past decade." Municipal water treatment operators are 'more price-sensitive and often slow to adopt new technologies unless prompted by changing regulations," according to the researcher.

In contrast, the manufacturing and power generation markets were expected to show improved growth over gains seen in the 2009-2014 period through adoption of more expensive and efficient chemicals.

Chemical use in other energy markets along with mining and mineral processing were predicted by ReportLinker to post strong gains fired by greater industry adoption of water reuse, as well as tighter restrictions on treated wastewater.

[출처 = Desalination & Water Reuse / 2015년 8월 22일]