Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market - Forecast (2021-2026)

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Overview

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market size is forecast to reach US$408.7 million by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 5.4% during 2021-2026. Rheology modifiers are vital additives that are added to liquid and semi-solid products to control the viscosity and flow characteristics of the products. The rheology of products used for industrial cleaning has to be adjusted to fit the needs of each application, owing to which there is an increasing demand for rheology modifiers to adjust the rheology of formulations used in industrial cleaners. Although traditional cleaners provide good performance, natural rheology modifiers have become an integral ingredient in the processing of today’s most innovative and naturally-based industrial cleaners, as they enable improved sensory experiences and performance in an array of formulations, which is expected to drive the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaner’s industry market growth during the forecast period.

COVID-19 Impact

One of the hardest-hit segments from COVID-19 was the manufacturing sector. The factories that supply raw materials to several manufacturing units across the world were shut down to curb the spread of the virus. Thus, consecutively the coronavirus impact on manufacturing also had implications on production, demand, and supply chains of synthetic and natural rheology modifiers, owing to which there was a decline in the synthetic and natural rheology modifiers’ revenue in 2020, which constrained the market growth. Furthermore, due to widespread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in 2020, the global production and supply chain of natural and synthetic rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners was disrupted. The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the transportation links and distribution mechanisms between suppliers, production facilities, and customers. Therefore, the sustainable production and consumption pattern of natural and synthetic rheology modifiers for the industrial cleaners market was affected in 2020.

Report Coverage

The report: “Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market - Forecast (2021-2026)” covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners Industry.

By Source: Natural, and Synthetic.

By Formulation: Water Based and Oil Based.

By Type: Acrylic Polymer, Amide Polymer, Modified Polyacrylated, Methacrylic Acid and Acrylic Acid Esters, Hydrophobically Modified Polyurethanes (HEUR), Hydrophbically Modified Alkali Swellable Emulsions (HASE), Alkali Swellable Emulsions (ASE), Diutan Gum, Gellan Gum, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and Others.

By Type of Industrial Cleaners: Low pH and High pH Industrial Cleaning Formulations, Vehicle Wash Detergents, Metal Cleaners and Metal Pickling Paste, Scale Removers, Acid Descalers, Pipeline Cleaning, and Others.

By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, and Africa).

Key Takeaways

• Asia-Pacific dominates the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market, owing to the increasing industrial plant construction in the region. For instance, in June 2020, Sinopec Corp., China's top state refiner, announced that it had begun construction on a US$ 6 billion refinery and petrochemical plant in South China.
• Rheology modifiers are excellent thickeners for water-based and solvent-based industrial cleaners and detergents as they are resilient in highly acidic and alkaline systems and produce consistent, stable viscosity from pH 2-13. Thus, rheological modifiers are often incorporated in industrial cleaners.
• There is an increasing demand for cleaning materials and facilities after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This scenario has assisted the penetration of rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners into various end-user industries such as automotive, food & beverages, metal, oil & gas, chemical, and many more and the emergence of many local and regional players.
• However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, various industrial facilities halted their undergoing manufacturing activities of components, owing to which the demand for industrial cleaners substantially decreased, which limited the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaner’s market growth during the forecast period.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Segment Analysis - By Source

The synthetic segment held the largest revenue share of 62% in the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 5.9% during 2021-2026. Synthetic rheology modifiers include derivatives hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane resin (HEUR), hydrophobically modified alkali-swellable acrylic emulsion (HASE), calcium sulfonates derivatives, and more. Synthetic rheology modifiers offer several distinct advantages over natural types as they are present in liquids form and thus, they are easy to process. Also, changes in co-monomers allow for control of rheological performance, leading to its broad applications in industrial cleaners. All these advantages (mainly low-cost advantages) associated with synthetic rheology modifiers are accelerating its demand for industrial cleaners. However, gaining popularity of natural rheology modifiers as it is eco-friendly is anticipated to restrict the market revenue of synthetic rheology modifiers in the coming years.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Segment Analysis - By Formulation

The water-based segment held the largest share in the rheology modifiers for the industrial cleaners market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 5.8% during 2021-2026. The majority of the water-based industrial cleaners consist of a range of other components as well to enhance their effectiveness. However, with increasingly conscious consumers, improved texture, less VOC content, and aesthetics have become significantly more important in buying decisions. And water-based rheology modifiers contribute to the performance of hard surface industrial cleaners in a variety of beneficial ways. Rheology modifiers provide formulators with a means of developing discernible effortless cleaning formulations with desirable textures for an enjoyable consumer experience as it is a good viscosity enhancer for industrial cleaners formulations, owing to which it facilitates more pleasurable and sensory benefits in today’s advanced, thickened hard surface industrial cleaners. Thus, owing to all these advantages associated with the incorporation of rheology modifiers in water-based industrial cleaners, are set to aid in increasing the market growth in the forecast era.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Segment Analysis - By Type

The acrylic polymer segment held the largest share in the rheology modifiers for the industrial cleaners market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2021-2026. Acrylics are important petrochemical raw materials used in the production of synthetic products. These are by-products of crude oil and natural gas production. The price trend of emulsion polymers may be hampered by cost concerns about the volatile petrochemical oil index. Acrylic polymers provide better & innovative polymeric solutions for detergents. Being synthesized with specific polymerization additives are very compatible with other detergent raw materials, particularly in liquid form. They are a significant component of modern detergent and cleaning formulations, as well as an environmentally friendly alternative to STPP.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Segment Analysis - By Type of Industrial Cleaners

The low pH and high pH industrial cleaning formulations segment held the largest share in the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market in 2020 and is growing at a CAGR of 6.5% during 2021-2026. The pH level of a cleaning product, which is a number assigned to substances to signify their acidity or alkalinity, is often related to its suitability. Because of the recurring nature of the products and services, as well as rising governmental and regulatory requirements for hygiene and cleanliness, the Industrial cleaning sector is a highly diversified and growing industry. There is no need to pre-swell the rheology modifier before adding it to a formulation. It performs well in highly acidic environments (as low as pH 2.5), which is becoming more common for certain active ingredients. Since the normal rheology modifier, xanthan gum, does not work well at low pH, structuring formulations in acidic conditions has been a challenging industry task.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Segment Analysis - By Geography

Asia-Pacific held the largest share in the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market in 2020 up to 38%. The growth of new power plant industries is estimated to drive the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners’ market growth in Asia-Pacific countries. For instance, in September 2020, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China Huaneng Group will build two Hualong units as part of phase two - units 3 and 4 -of the Changjiang facility. China's State Council also approved the construction of the two units which is yet to start in the upcoming years. Similarly, Shandong Shengli Coal-Fired Power Project in China can produce 4000 megawatts (MW) of energy. Its first phase was planned to be completed in 2019. In April 2020, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. announced that it will establish a new plant within Osaka, Japan. In December 2020, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. announced that along with IBM Japan through a joint venture it plans to build a new solar power generation plant. Thus, such rising investments for the production of new petrochemical plants are estimated to raise the demand for rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market - Drivers

The Surge in the Food & Beverages Processing Facilities

Industrial cleaners based on rheological modifiers are effective in removing trace ingredients to help prevent allergen cross-contact, reduce the chances of food contamination that can cause health hazards or affect product quality, comply with local and international standards and regulations to ensure consumer safety, and avoid legal issues, and increase plant performance and productivity by reducing the amount of water used. And since keeping the food and beverage processing plants clean is of primary importance for smoothly run operations as it ensures a safe and efficient manufacturing environment, there is an increasing demand for industrial cleaners from the food and beverage processing facilities. The construction and functioning of new food and beverage processing facilities are increasing at a lucrative rate. For instance, in November 2018, Maple Leaf Foods started building a value-added fresh poultry plant in Ontario. The Canada-based company expects the construction of a facility to be completed in 2022.In June 2018, Parle, one of India's leading biscuit and confectionery manufacturers, opened a manufacturing facility in Mexico. In addition, in December 2018, Nestlé invested US$154 million in a new coffee factory in Veracruz, Mexico. Furthermore, in May 2019, PepsiCo announced to invest US$109 million in Mexico to build a new plant in Guanajuato. The plant will be fully operational by 2025. In August 2020, the British government has agreed to contribute £12 million (US$15.4 million) to help Derby establish a high-tech food manufacturing campus. The project is expected to be completed by 2024. Thus, it is evident that with the increasing food processing industry, the need for rheological modifier-based industrial cleaners is also increasing at a rapid pace to frequently clean the surfaces of the food and beverages industry, which is driving the rheological modifier market growth during the forecast period.

Increasing Investments in Pipeline Projects

Time, degradation, and corrosion of the world's aging pipeline infrastructure raise the risk of pipeline failure. Rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners provide a barrier to internal pipeline corrosion, ensuring the integrity of chemical, water, and oil and gas water pipelines. Rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners have several advantages, including improved pipeline life, product purity, cost savings, and more. As a result, they are often used in pipelines. The Indian government aims to create natural gas infrastructure in India with an investment of US$60 billion through 2024 which includes laying gas pipelines and LNG terminals. India plans to extend its natural gas grid to 34,500 kilometers by adding a 17,000-kilometer gas pipeline. The European Council proposed in April 2018 to construct a 159-kilometer bidirectional pipeline from Malta to Italy, bringing Malta into compliance with a European Union (EU) condition that "no EU Member State should remain disconnected from the European gas and electricity networks after 2015." Malta decided in July 2019 to finance the entire project's estimated cost of €400 million (US$440 million), which is set to be completed in 2024. The project has been approved by the European Commission's Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list, as well as the Italian government's 10-year natural gas development plan for 2020-2029. Thus, it is anticipated that the increasing pipeline projects will accelerate the growth of the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners in the future. Thus, the increased pipeline projects act as an opportunity for the rheology modifiers for the industrial cleaners market during the forecast period.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market - Challenges

Fluctuating Crude Oil Prices

The cost of commodity chemicals and the amount of raw materials used during the production process is always influenced by fluctuating crude oil prices. Crude oil is considered is the main raw material for the synthesis of rheology modifiers since it is used to manufacture distinct raw materials. The raw materials often used for the production of rheology modifiers are the downstream products of crude oil such as polyamides and polyester. So, the price fluctuation of crude oils also hinders the price of rheology modifiers. According to, BP Statistical Review of World Energy, in the recent year there is been a fluctuation in the price of crude oil, for instance, the Brent crude oil price decreased from US$98.95/bbl in 2014 to US$52.39/bbl in 2015 and increased from US$43.73/bbl in 2016 to US$71.31/bbl in 2018 and then decreased to US$64.21/bbl in 2019. And because of this uncertainty in crude oil prices, the price of rheology modifiers also increases. Thus, the volatility in crude oil prices is expected to be a significant challenge for the rheology modifiers market manufacturers, which will hinder the rheology modifiers market growth during the forecast period.

Rheology Modifiers for Industrial Cleaners Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market. Major players in the rheology modifiers for industrial cleaners market are BASF SE, Clariant, Ashland, Dow Chemicals, Arkema, Munzing Chemie GmbH, Nouryon, BYK Additives & Instruments, Croda International Plc, Lubrizol, CP Kelco, SNF, Comercial Quimica Masso S.A., Oxiteno, and Cosun Beet Company.

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

• In April 2020, SNF opened a new manufacturing facility in Gujarat's Kutch district in western India. Polyacrylamides are now being produced at the site. And the products primarily serve the oil and gas industry, water treatment, mining, and other sectors.
• In April 2019, BYK Company expanded its presence in Asia by opening a new site in Shanghai. The company invested 38 million Euros to construct a new site in Shanghai. The new site consists of laboratories, a distribution center, and an administration office.