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Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination

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    Report

  • 128 Pages
  • November 2023
  • Region: Global
  • BCC Research
  • ID: 5907714
There are five sources of water for the desalination industry: brackish, seawater, brine, river, and pure water. This report covers only seawater and brackish water, which together account for more than 85% of the desalination industry. Brackish water and seawater are both types of salt water, but these sources differ by total dissolved solids (TDS). Each type of water requires different treatment methods. Brackish water is a blend of freshwater and seawater, characterized by a lower salt concentration than seawater. Seawater refers to the saline water naturally occurring in the ocean with a higher salt content.

Desalination plants range from small to large industrial or municipal facilities. This study discusses the status of global water resources and the growing gap between freshwater resources and demand for water from all sectors. The specific growth drivers for and the challenges related to the evolution of the desalination equipment market are presented.

A technical overview of the primary desalination technologies is provided on the basis of membrane - and thermal-based technologies, as well as an overview of novel desalination methods. This updated version includes a study of the industrial segment, including the oil and gas, chemical, dairy, food and beverage, paper and pulp, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and power industry and refinery sectors. The report presents the hypothetical unit cost of water as produced by the primary technologies as well as the sensitivity of that cost to variations in economic parameters.

The report also features a chapter highlighting the sustainability perspective of the seawater and brackish water desalination market at the global level. The chapter covers companies' performance in terms of ESG parameters.

The market size and estimates are provided in terms of value ($ millions), with 2022 serving as the base year and market forecasts given for the period 2023 to 2028. Regional-level market sizes, with respect to technology and application, are also provided.

Report Includes

  • 37 data tables and 52 additional tables
  • An overview of the global market for seawater and brackish water desalination
  • Estimates of the market size and analyses of global market trends with data from 2022 and 2023, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2028
  • An examination of the current and future market potential, and breakdowns of the market by water source, technology, application, and geographic region
  • Descriptions of the primary desalination technologies and methods, and an assessment of the global seawater and brackish water desalination plant industry, from both market and application perspectives
  • In-depth information (facts and figures) pertaining to the major factors influencing the market, including emerging technologies and recent M&A activity
  • Insight into the industry structure, current competitive landscape, R&D activities, and regulatory and legislative issues
  • Analysis of relevant patents
  • Profiles of companies in the desalination industry, including Veolia Environnement, Acciona, LG Chem, and DuPont

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
  • Study Goals and Objectives
  • Reasons for Doing this Study
  • Scope of Report
  • What's New in This Update
  • Research Methodologies
  • Information Sources
  • Geographical Breakdown
  • Segmentation Breakdown
Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights
  • Market Outlook
  • Market Summary
Chapter 3 Market Overview
  • Definition of Desalination
  • History of Desalination
  • Overview of the Global Market for Water Desalination
  • Technologies Used in Water Desalination
  • Desalination System Economics: Unit Cost of Water
  • Overview
  • Plant Capacity and Initial Capital Investment
  • Cost Profiles of Desalination Technologies
  • Capital Cost Estimates, by Technology
  • Operating and Maintenance Costs
  • Energy Costs and Carbon Emissions
  • All-In Unit Cost of Water
  • Cost of Thermal Technologies
  • Future Cost Improvements in Desalination Technologies
Chapter 4 Market Dynamics
  • Market Drivers
  • Rising Demand for Water
  • Technological Advances in Desalination
  • Challenges
  • Making Desalination More Energy-Efficient and Cost-Effective
  • Disposal of Brine
  • Reuse of Desalted Water in Agriculture
Chapter 5 Emerging Technologies and Developments
  • Trends in Green Desalination
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Dry-Test Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Membrane
  • Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO)
Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Source
  • Introduction
  • Seawater
  • Advantages of Seawater Desalination
  • Barriers to Seawater Desalination
  • Brackish Water
Chapter 7 Market Breakdown by Technology
  • Introduction
  • Membranes
  • Reverse Osmosis
  • Electrodialysis/ED/EDR
  • Nanofiltration
  • Thermal
  • Multi-Stage Flash Distillation
  • Multi-Effect Distillation
  • Other Technologies
  • Hybrid Systems
  • MSF/RO or MED/RO
  • NF/MSF, NF/MED, NF/RO
  • MED/TVC
Chapter 8 Market Breakdown by End-User Industry
  • Introduction
  • Municipal
  • Industrial
  • Oil & Gas
  • Chemical
  • Dairy, Food and Beverages
  • Paper and Pulp
  • Pharmaceuticals (Pharma and Biotech)
  • Semiconductors
  • Power Plants
  • Other Industries
  • Others
Chapter 9 Market Breakdown by Region
  • Introduction
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Middle East and Africa
  • Latin America
Chapter 10 Sustainability in the Industry: An ESG Perspective
  • ESG in the Desalination Industry
  • ESG Implementation at Hitachi Zosen
  • Environmental Initiatives
  • Social Initiatives
  • Governance Initiatives
  • Outcomes
  • Concluding Remarks
Chapter 11 Patent Analysis
  • Significance of Patents
  • Patent Analysis Based on Country of Origin
  • Patent Analysis Based on Year Issued
  • Patent Analysis Based on Patent Holders
Chapter 12 Mergers and Acquisitions
  • M&A Analysis
Chapter 13 Competitive Intelligence
  • Industry Structure
Chapter 14 Company Profiles
  • ACCIONA
  • ALFA LAVAL AB
  • AQUATECH INTERNATIONAL LLC
  • BIWATER INTERNATIONAL LTD.
  • DUPONT WATER SOLUTIONS
  • GRADIANT CORP. INC.
  • HANGZHOU WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER CO. LTD.
  • HITACHI ZOSEN CORP.
  • IDE TECHNOLOGIES
  • KOVALUS SEPARATION SOLUTIONS
  • LG CHEM
  • PURE AQUA INC.
  • TORAY INDUSTRIES INC.
  • VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT S.A.
Chapter 15 Appendix: Acronyms
List of Tables
Summary Table: Global Market for Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 1: Classification of Water Quality
Table 2: Comparison of Desalination Technologies
Table 3: Cost Profiles of Desalination Technologies
Table 4: Capital Costs for Desalination Methods
Table 5: Cost of Membrane Desalination, Before 1985 to 2022
Table 6: Forecast for Parameters for Seawater Desalination Plants
Table 7: Worldwide Urban Population and Rate of Urbanization, 2022
Table 8: 10 Most Populous Cities, 2023
Table 9: Global Population, Energy Consumption and Water Consumption for Energy Trends, 2005-2050
Table 10: Water Withdrawals by Sector, by Income Group, 2020
Table 11: 25 Most Water-Stressed Countries, 2030 and 2040
Table 12: Global Market for Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Source, Through 2028
Table 13: Global Market for Seawater Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 14: Global Market for Brackish Water Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 15: Global Market for Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Technology, Through 2028
Table 16: Global Market for RO Technology in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 17: Global Market for Electrodialysis/EDI/EDR in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 18: Global Market for Nanofiltration in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 19: Global Market for MSF Distillation in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 20: Global Market for MED Distillation in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 21: Global Market for Hybrid Systems in Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 22: Global Market for Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Application, Through 2028
Table 23: Global Market for Desalination in Municipal Applications, by Region, Through 2028
Table 24: Global Market for Desalination in Industrial Applications, by Region, Through 2028
Table 25: Global Market for Desalination, by Region, Through 2028
Table 26: North American Market for Desalination, by Country, Through 2028
Table 27: European Market for Desalination, by Country, Through 2028
Table 28: Asia-Pacific Market for Desalination, by Country, Through 2028
Table 29: Middle East and African Market for Desalination, by Country, Through 2028
Table 30: Latin American Market for Desalination, by Country, Through 2028
Table 31: ESG Metrics
Table 32: Analysis of ESG Diversity Issues
Table 33: Analysis of ESG Employee Safety and Labor Practices Issues
Table 34: Analysis of ESG Resource Efficiency and Emissions Issues
Table 35: Analysis of ESG Waste Reduction Issues
Table 36: Analysis of the ESG Sustainable Supply Chain
Table 37: Analysis of ESG Ethical Corporate Behavior
Table 38: ESG Scores of Desalination Companies
Table 39: Patents Related to Seawater Desalination, by Country of Origin, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 40: Patents Related to Brackish Water Desalination, by Country of Origin, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 41: Patents Related to Seawater Desalination, by Year Issued, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 42: Patents Related to Brackish Water Desalination, by Year Issued, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 43: Patents Related to Seawater Desalination, by Patent Holder, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 44: Patents Related to Brackish Water Desalination, by Patent Holder, January 2020 to August 2023
Table 45: List of Patents Related to Seawater Desalination, January 2022 to August 2023
Table 46: Patents Related to Brackish Desalination, January 2022-August 2023
Table 47: Mergers and Acquisitions, January 2020 to October 2023
Table 48: Acciona: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 49: Acciona: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 50: Acciona: ESG Ratings
Table 51: Acciona: Desalination Portfolio
Table 52: Alfa Laval: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 53: Alfa Laval: Recent Developments, 2021
Table 54: Alfa Laval: ESG Ratings
Table 55: Alfa Laval: Desalination Portfolio
Table 56: Aquatech International: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 57: Aquatech International: Desalination Portfolio
Table 58: BiWater International: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 59: BiWater International: Desalination Portfolio
Table 60: DuPont: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 61: DuPont: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 62: DuPont: ESG Ratings
Table 63: DuPont Water Solutions: Desalination Portfolio
Table 64: Gradiant: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 65: Gradiant: Desalination Portfolio
Table 66: Hangzhou Water Treatment: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 67: Hangzhou Water Treatment: Desalination Portfolio
Table 68: Hitachi Zosen: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 69: Hitachi Zosen: ESG Ratings
Table 70: Hitachi Zosen: Desalination Portfolio
Table 71: IDE Technologies: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 72: IDE Technologies: Desalination Portfolio
Table 73: Kovalus Separation Solutions: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 74: Kovalus Separation Solutions: Desalination Portfolio
Table 75: LG Chem: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 76: LG Chem: ESG Ratings
Table 77: LG Chem: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 78: LG Chem: Desalination Portfolio
Table 79: Pure Aqua: Desalination Portfolio
Table 80: Toray Industries: Annual Revenue, 2023
Table 81: Toray Industries: ESG Ratings
Table 82: Toray Industries: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 83: Toray Industries: Desalination Portfolio
Table 84: Veolia Environnement: Annual Revenue, 2022
Table 85: Veolia Environnement: ESG Ratings
Table 86: Veolia Environnement: Recent Developments, 2023
Table 87: Veolia Environnement: Desalination Portfolio
Table 88: Acronyms Used in This Report
List of Figures
Summary Figure: Global Market for Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Region, 2022-2028
Figure A: Research Methodology: Bottom-Up Approach
Figure 1: Distribution Shares of Different Water Sources, 2022
Figure 2: Global Distribution of Desalination Capacity, by Region, 2022
Figure 3: Factors Affecting the Cost of Desalinated Water
Figure 4: CAPEX Breakdown-MED Plant
Figure 5: CAPEX Breakdown-SWRO Plant
Figure 6: Cost Allocation Shares of MSF Thermal Desalination Plants, by Component
Figure 7: Cost Allocation Shares of MED Thermal Desalination Plants, by Component
Figure 8: Global Population, Energy Consumption, and Water Consumption for Energy Trends, 2005-2050
Figure 9: Global Gap Between Existing Water Supply and Demand, 2030
Figure 10: Water-Stressed Areas of the World, 2040
Figure 11: Global Market Shares of Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Source, 2022
Figure 12: Global Market Shares of Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by Technology, 2022
Figure 13: Global Market Shares of Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination, by End-User Industry, 2022
Figure 14: Global Market Shares of Desalination, by Region, 2022
Figure 15: Overview of ESG Factors
Figure 16: Global Market Shares of Desalination, by Company, 2022
Figure 17: Acciona: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 18: Acciona: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 19: Acciona: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022
Figure 20: Alfa Laval: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 21: Alfa Laval: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 22: Alfa Laval: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022
Figure 23: DuPont: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 24: DuPont: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 25: DuPont: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022
Figure 26: Hitachi Zosen: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 27: Hitachi Zosen: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 28: Hitachi Zosen: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022
Figure 29: LG Chem: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 30: LG Chem: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 31: LG Chem: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022
Figure 32: Toray Industries: Annual Revenue, 2022 and 2023
Figure 33: Toray Industries: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2023
Figure 34: Toray Industries: Revenue Shares, by Country/Region, 2023
Figure 35: Veolia Environnement: Annual Revenue, 2021 and 2022
Figure 36: Veolia Environnement S.A.: Revenue Shares, by Business Unit, 2022
Figure 37: Veolia Environnement: Revenue Shares, by Region, 2022

Executive Summary

The requirement for new sources of water and the roles played by seawater and brackish water in meeting that demand are clear. The critical metric is population growth, which translates into greater needs for agriculture and higher energy, the primary drivers of water demand. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has estimated that over half of the world's population will live in water-stressed regions by 2050, and that 1.6 billion people live in areas at risk of floods. The German Federal Environment Agency estimates that 1 billion people live in countries where water is scarce, and it predicts that by 2050, 25% of the world's population will be dealing with chronic or regular water shortages. The World Economic Forum lists water crises as the most concerning global risk over the next 10 years.

The populations living in coastal regions is large and growing in all parts of the world. Although an estimated 40% of people live within 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of a coastline, many of these people rely on water transported from the interior or groundwater. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report, till 2022, about 1% of the world's water supply is produced through desalination. Approximately 1.5 liters of extracted water are required to produce 1 liter of desalinated water. The rate of water supply through desalination is changing rapidly. According to the International Desalination Association, at the end of 2022, there were over 22,800 desalination plants supplying approximately 110 million cubic meters of fresh water per day (m3/d), compared with 18,000 plants supplying 97 million m3/d in 2017. This capacity is expected to double by 2050.

In addition to growing demand, there is the actor of misuse or overuse of water resources. Freshwater sources are declining faster than the demand rate because of environmental contamination and overpumping of non-renewable resources. Climate change also plays a role through severe droughts, aggravating water scarcity in many regions.

Table Information