Membrane Bioreactor Market: Wastewater Treatment for the Future

The Membrane Bioreactor Market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.54% to reach US$4.750 billion in 2026 from US$2.676 billion in 2019. 

It has been observed a powerful rate in recent years and is forecast to exhibit fruitfully within the years to come back. 

The term ‘membrane bioreactor’ (MBR) refers to wastewater treatment procedures in which a perm-selective membrane, such as microfiltration or ultrafiltration, is combined with a biological process, especially a suspended growth bioreactor. The rising need for water treatment solutions throughout the world is driving the market. This can be due to diminishing freshwater supplies and a constantly rising demand from the residential sector for chemical-free and clean drinking water. Furthermore, growing environmental concerns about effective sanitation and wastewater disposal are boosting market expansion.

The amount of wastewater produced in residential, commercial, and industrial complexes has increased significantly, and it is now treated by MBRs. In addition, the formation of submerged MBRs is functioning as a growth stimulant. These systems are low-cost and energy-efficient, as well as small and lightweight, and may generate tangential liquid flow around the membranes by aeration. Aside from that, the growing use of environmentally friendly water and wastewater management technologies in sectors such as chemical, pharmaceutical, power, food & beverage, and textile is fuelling market expansion. Other factors, including growing industrialization and the implementation of favourable government regulations for upgrading the existing wastewater treatment facilities with MBRs, are anticipated to push the market further. To strengthen their portfolio of high-purity water systems, Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, an industry leader in mission-critical water treatment solutions, acquired privately held Water Consulting Specialists, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacturing, and service of industrial high-purity water treatment systems, in April 2021.

However, the starting expenditures of MBRs are quite costly, which may limit market growth in the long term. Furthermore, operational expenses are high, which may stifle market expansion throughout the projection period. When contemplating MBR technology, there are a lot of financial variables to consider, as well as other factors to consider. Capital cost (CAPEX), operational cost (OPEX), overall cost or carbon footprint, size, robustness and residuals, and environmental effect are some of these. The energy demand and membrane replacement are the two most important components of operational cost (ignoring labour). The cost of chemicals is usually rather low. The primary sources of energy demand are aeration and sludge transfers, with permeate generation requiring energy to varying degrees depending on the MBR process design.

The Surging Use of Membrane Bioreactors in Wastewater Treatment and Growing Government Initiatives Is Estimated to Account For the Growth of Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Market

During the forecast period, the growing demand for upgrading existing wastewater treatment facilities that have reached capacity is projected to boost the membrane bioreactors market. Membrane bioreactors are used to achieve bacterial digestion of waste organic matter and easy separation of the treated effluent from remaining suspended particles. Furthermore, favourable government efforts relating to improved wastewater treatment techniques are boosting the membrane bioreactor market. Membrane bioreactors are rapidly becoming the best available technology for wastewater treatment, as they can run at considerably greater solids concentrations than traditional activated sludge plants. Membrane bioreactors have become popular as a result of stringent government laws and regulations governing the disposal of industrial effluent. The use of membrane bioreactors is increasing as worries about industrial wastewater disposal grow. Membrane bioreactors are increasingly being used in the industrial sector to treat industrial wastes since they can work at high sludge concentrations. Furthermore, the rising population and diminishing freshwater supplies in developing economies are boosting membrane bioreactor use in a variety of countries. The demand for membrane bioreactors has grown as the cost of conventional water treatment procedures has increased, as they are deemed economically feasible for municipal wastewater treatment.

North America and Asia Pacific Region Fuelled the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Market

Based on Regions, the market for membrane bioreactor (MBR) is metameric into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. In 2019, Europe emerged united of the leading regions; though, the market within the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to develop at a fast rate as compared to different regions. Europe is additionally anticipated to exhibit the highest rate / CAGR over the forecast amount 2019-2026. Factors like particular government restrictions as well as geographical factors such as land availability, licence objectives, and subterranean aqua systems, Europe leads the membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems market.

The growth of the Asia-Pacific market is calculable to be fuelled owing to the region’s growing population is increasing demand for clean drinking water, putting pressure on water reuse and recycling. The need for water treatment is projected to rise as a result of water recycling and reuse, which is expected to boost the MBR market in the area. In the next years, the region’s membrane bioreactor market is projected to benefit from a shift in focus toward the building of centralised sewage treatment plants (STPs) and effluent treatment plants (ETPs), as well as increased urbanisation and population. Furthermore, the majority of regions sewage pipes have not been modernised or advanced in terms of wastewater treatment technology, resulting in inadequate treated wastewater quality. As a result, there is a need to update the regions wastewater treatment infrastructure, which is expected to drive the use of membrane bioreactor technology in the Asia Pacific region throughout the forecast period.

COVID-19 Situation

Lockdown measures are being implemented in a number of nations, causing manufacturing to be disrupted. In addition, there have been supply chain disruptions and delays in the operations of enterprises. Trade barriers have restrained the stock. The COVID-19 impact on the membrane bioreactor (MBR) market has been severely affected due to the uncertainty in the recovery timeline, the implantation of lockdown in various countries has had a negative impact on the production activities. The investments made in these sectors have been put on hold due to the pandemic across various counties and is expected to be postponed for at least a year. The partial operation of distribution centers and manufacturing unit have cause delays is new orders of membrane bioreactor (MBR). The worldwide demand of membrane bioreactor (MBR) have also been restricted which has hampered the market. The temporary lockdown and the shutting of manufacturing and production units has had an adverse effect on the industrial sector which in turn has affected the growth of membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the global market.

Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Market Scope:

Report Metric	Details
Market size value in 2019	US$2.676 billion
Market size value in 2026	US$4.750 billion
Growth Rate	CAGR of 8.54% from 2019 to 2026
Base year	2019
Forecast period	2021–2026
Forecast Unit (Value)	USD Billion
Segments covered	Product, Configuration, Application, And Geography
Regions covered	North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific
Companies covered	Koch Membrane Systems, Inc., SEUZ, General Electric Company, Toray Industries,   Inc., Kubota Corporation, Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, Asahi Kasei Corporation,   Ovivo, Veolia Water Technologies, Smith & Loveless, Inc.
Customization scope	Free report customization with purchase