PVDF Membrane Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The PVDF membrane market is projected to register a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period (2021-2026).

The market was negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane is used at chemical processing and other industrial facilities for various applications, including pressure-driven water- and waste-treatment and membrane contact operations, including acid gas absorption, stripping, volatile organic compounds removal, and others. Considering the pandemic scenario, these facilities, including chemical processing units, were stopped temporarily during the lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 cases, thus had decreased the demand for the PVDF membrane. However, PVDF membrane is also used for filtration purposes in the pharmaceutical industry, including clarification and sterilization of protein-containing solutions during drug manufacturing and other applications, owing to its low protein binding properties and minimal interaction nature with sample components. The demand for various medicines has been increased during the current pandemic situation. Thus, this has increased the application of the PVDF membrane.

Key Highlights

• Over the short term, the growing applications in water and wastewater treatment are expected to drive the market's growth.
• On the flip side, the high cost of PVDF membranes is expected to hinder the growth of the market.
• Increasing research and development for more advanced and highly efficient PVDF membranes will create opportunities for the market in the coming years.
• The Asia-Pacific region dominated the global market, with the largest consumption coming from China, India, and Japan.

Key Market Trends

Growing Applications in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

• Polyvinylidene fluoride, also known as polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), is a special plastic material belonging to the fluoropolymer family. It is a thermoplastic and non-reactive fluoropolymer formed by the polymerization of vinylidene difluoride.
• PVDF membranes offer good resistance to acidic and organic solvents as compared to nitrocellulose or nylon membranes, and they are thus used for amino-terminal protein sequencing applications and other blotting applications.
• Hydrophilic PVDF membranes are used in applications, such as biological sample preparation, culture media, sterile vaccine filtration, and organic mobile phase filtration, owing to their very low protein binding properties. Furthermore, hydrophobic PVDF membranes are used as a transfer membrane for protein blotting applications and also can be used as a carrier media of biosensors.
• According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the Indian biotechnology industry comprising biopharmaceuticals and others was valued at USD 64 billion in 2019, and it is expected to reach USD 150 billion by 2025. Thus, this is expected to enhance the demand for the PVDF membrane from the biopharmaceutical segment.
• In 2019, the biopharmaceutical market in South Korea was valued at about USD 2.3 billion, with a growth rate of about 16.5% compared to the previous year.
• Therefore, the aforementioned factors are expected to show a significant impact on the market in the coming years.

Asia-Pacific Region to Dominate the Market

• The Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the market for PVDF membranes during the forecast period. In countries like China, India, and Japan, because of increasing chemical and pharmaceutical industries and growing awareness among people and industries to treat wastewater, the demand for PVDF membranes has been increasing in the region.
• The largest producers of PVDF membrane are located in the Asia-Pacific region. Some of the leading companies in the production of PVDF membranes are HYUNDAI MICRO CO. LTD, Cobetter Filtration Equipment Co. Ltd, GVS SpA, CITIC Envirotech Ltd, and Synder Filtration Inc.
• The growth in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry is associated with a rise in concern toward wastewater treatment techniques in this region. Thus, this is increasing the scope for the growth of the PVDF membrane market in the region.
• According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the Chinese pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry was valued at about USD 399.65 billion in 2019. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical and medicine export value was amounted to about USD 32.36 billion in 2019, with a decline rate of about 4% compared to the previous year.
• According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the Indian pharmaceutical market turnover was valued at USD 20.03 billion in 2019, with a growth rate of 9.8% yearly compared to the previous year, thus stimulating the demand for the market studied.
• PVDF-based membranes also find their application in the food and beverages industry. These membranes can be widely used in beer brewing, removing contaminants and spoilage organisms from food and beverage items, and other process applications of the food and beverages industry.
• According to the Statistics Bureau of Japan, the sales value of food and beverages wholesale in Japan was valued at about USD 450 billion in 2019, with a decline rate of about 2.5% compared to the previous year, thereby negatively impacting the market demand studied.
• Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes have been extensively applied in the industrial process due to their outstanding properties, such as high thermal stability, good chemical resistance, and membrane forming properties. PVDF membrane is widely used to treat municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.
• According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the investment in the treatment of industrial wastewater in China was valued at about USD 1.07 billion in 2019, with a growth rate of about 9% compared to the previous year, which, in turn, enhanced the demand for the market studied.
• Therefore, the aforementioned factors are expected to impact the PVDF membrane market in the coming years significantly.

Competitive Landscape

The PVDF membrane market is fragmented in nature, with the major players accounting for a marginal share of the industry. A few companies operating in the market include HYUNDAI MICRO CO. LTD, Cobetter Filtration Equipment Co. Ltd, CITIC Envirotech Ltd, Synder Filtration Inc., and GVS SpA, among others.

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