CERAMIC MEMBRANE MARKET ANALYSIS

Ceramic membranes are man-made membranes made up of inorganic materials such as zirconium oxide, alumina, silicon carbide, titania, and certain glassy materials which are used to separate aggressive acids and strong solvents. Ceramic membranes have good thermal stability and hence, they can be used in high-temperature membrane operations. Global ceramic membrane market was valued at US$ 5,949.9 Million in 2021 in terms of revenue, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period (2022 to 2030).

Drivers

Wastewater purification is the largest application industry of ceramic membranes. In the water filtration process, the medium to be filtered is allowed to flow through the channels of the membrane carrier. Larger particles are retained on top of the pores if their size is greater than the radius of the pore. The filtrate passes through the membrane pore and it is allowed to go through the subsequent stages of the process. Due to the growing demand for potable water, concerns about water scarcity and water desalination processes are expected to rise during the forecast period. 

The growing demand from the pharmaceutical industry is notably driving the ceramic membrane market growth. The global healthcare sector is driven by the aging population, changing lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits, and increased occurrences of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The ceramic membrane is an imperative part of the pharmaceutical industry.  The growing aging population is expected to have high medical problems driving the increase in demand for ceramic membranes during the forecast period.

Among region, Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share in the global ceramic membrane market in 2021, owing to increasing demand for food and beverages supported by increasing population and disposable income of the populace in the region. According to India Brand Equity Foundation in December 2020, The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth, increasing its contribution to world food trade every year. The Indian gourmet food market is currently valued at US$ 1.3 Million and is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20 per cent.

Figure 1. Global Ceramic Membrane Market Value Share (%), By Region, 2021

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Market Restraints

Cost involved in terms of initial capital investment and production of ceramic membranes is quite high compared to polymeric membranes, when they are used for water treatment plants. Additionally, in environmental applications, the use of ceramic membranes has been limited due to cost considerations even though they offer various benefits in areas such as rugged structural stability, chemical, and thermal stability. These factors, together, are expected to hamper the global ceramic membrane market growth.

Market Trends

Growing demand for water and wastewater treatment industry is the latest trend in the global ceramic membrane market. In the water treatment processes, ceramic membranes are generally used for high value-added products, with a higher cost than that of conventional processes. They can retain beneficial minerals in water during filtration, remove bacteria, rust, heavy metal ions, etc. and do not produces secondary pollution. Such factors are expected to drive the demand for ceramic membranes in water treatment processes, thus increasing the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Figure 2. Global Ceramic Membrane Market Value Share (%), By Technology 2021

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Among technologies, the ultrafiltration segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021, in terms of revenue. Ultrafiltration technology is suitable for pressure related operations, and to separate molecules present in water. They are nearly free of solids and effectively remove bacteria, parasites, and viruses. The ceramic membranes with ultrafiltration (with pore size around 10 nm) can be used to purify crude soybean oil from unwanted components such as free fatty acids, phospholipids, pigments, carbohydrates, sterols, proteins and their degradation products. Ultrafiltration has a varied range of applications including sterilization, water treatment, dairy processing, petroleum refining, and other applications.

Recent Developments

• In November 2021, Ovivo Inc., a global provider of water and wastewater treatment equipment, technology and systems announced the acquisition with Cembrane O/S. Cembrane O/S is a producer of silicon carbide membrane. The acquisition of both the companies will work for the manufacturing of high performance ceramic membranes.
• In August 2020, CeramTec, a manufacturer and developer of advanced ceramic components launched porous ceramic membrane tubes that are used for cross-flow membrane filtration combine key properties that aims to provide enhanced performance and lower costs on filtration units. 
• In June 2020, H2O Innovation, a water and wastewater treatment company, partnered with ceramic membrane manufacturer Nanostone Water Inc. to jointly advance the commercialization of ceramic membrane technology.

Competitive Section

Major players operating in the global ceramic membrane market include TAMI Industries, Pall Corporation, A-tech Innovation GmbH, Hyflux Ltd., Jiangsu Jiuwu Hi-Tech Co. Ltd., Veolia Water Technologies, GEA Group, Nanostone Water Inc., LIQTECH A/S, Saint Gobain, Qua Group LLC., and Toray Industry Inc.