Chelating Agents Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Chelating Agents Market is projected to expand from USD 6.38 Billion in 2025 to USD 8.13 Billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.12%. Chelating agents are specialized chemical compounds that react with metal ions to create stable, water-soluble complexes, a function that is vital for preventing unwanted chemical reactions across various industrial applications.

Market growth is primarily driven by strong demand within the water treatment, industrial cleaning, and pulp and paper sectors, where these agents are essential for managing water hardness and stabilizing bleaching processes. This upward trend is further supported by a recovery in downstream manufacturing industries, which directly increases consumption. For example, Cepi reported that paper and board production in member countries rose by 5.2% in 2024 compared to the prior year, a resurgence that significantly increases the need for chelating agents in paper processing.

However, the market encounters a significant obstacle regarding the environmental sustainability of conventional aminopolycarboxylates like EDTA. Stricter environmental regulations aimed at these non-biodegradable substances are forcing the industry to transition toward greener, bio-based alternatives. This shift creates a challenge, as the elevated development and production costs associated with biodegradable chelating agents can squeeze profit margins and complicate the reformulation of established industrial products. Consequently, these factors may hinder rapid market expansion in regions that are particularly sensitive to cost fluctuations.

Market Drivers

The robust expansion of the pulp and paper manufacturing sector serves as a primary catalyst for the chelating agents market, as these chemicals are indispensable for stabilizing bleaching processes and managing metal ions during pulping operations. As downstream demand for packaging and industrial paper rebounds, especially within emerging Asian economies, manufacturers are scaling up production, which correlates directly with higher consumption of process chemicals to prevent brightness reversion. For instance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported that China’s production of machine-made paper and paperboard increased by 11.9% year-on-year during the first two months of 2024, indicating a strong industrial recovery that requires larger volumes of stabilizing agents to maintain operational efficiency and product quality.

Concurrently, market expansion is being driven by the growing deployment of chelating agents in industrial water and wastewater treatment, bolstered by substantial public and private investment in utility infrastructure. Chelants are crucial for scale inhibition and heavy metal removal in complex water systems, a necessity that is intensifying due to stricter discharge regulations and the modernization of aging facilities. In October 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $3.6 billion in funding for water infrastructure upgrades, fostering an economic environment favorable to the adoption of advanced treatment technologies. Furthermore, the market is adapting to sustainability pressures; the American Cleaning Institute’s '2024 Sustainability Report' noted that 36% of its member companies have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, reflecting a broader industry shift toward efficient and compliant chemical solutions.

Market Challenges

Rigorous environmental regulations focused on non-biodegradable compounds constitute a major restraint on market development. Regulatory bodies are increasingly limiting the use of traditional aminopolycarboxylates, mandating a necessary shift toward bio-based alternatives. However, manufacturing these biodegradable substitutes involves significantly higher operational costs due to complex production requirements and expensive raw materials. This price disparity generates resistance among end-users who operate in highly price-sensitive environments and are unable to easily pass these additional costs on to consumers.

The economic weight of this transition is exacerbated by the sluggish performance of the broader chemical manufacturing sector, which reduces the capital available for supply chain modifications. Manufacturers dealing with reduced liquidity struggle to absorb the premium costs associated with sustainable chelating agents. According to the European Chemical Industry Council, chemical production in the European Union is projected to grow by only 1.0% in 2024 compared to the previous year, signaling continued economic pressure on the industry. This lack of strong industrial momentum limits the capacity of downstream buyers to adopt more expensive reformulations, thereby slowing the commercial uptake of greener chelating agents and impeding overall market volume growth.

Market Trends

The move toward biodegradable alternatives, such as methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA) and glutamic acid diacetic acid (GLDA), is fundamentally transforming the chelating agents landscape, particularly within the industrial and institutional cleaning sectors. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing the development of these bio-based chemistries to replace traditional aminopolycarboxylates like EDTA, which are under regulatory scrutiny due to their environmental persistence. This transition is driven not only by compliance but also by competitive strategy, as suppliers aim to meet the "net-zero" scope 3 emission targets of major detergent brands. This focus on innovation is evident in recent corporate strategies; Nouryon’s 'Sustainability Report 2024', released in May 2025, indicated that approximately 74% of the company's product innovation pipeline was dedicated to solutions with sustainability benefits, highlighting the industry-wide push to commercialize biodegradable formulations.

Simultaneously, the adoption of clean-label chelators is gaining significant traction in the natural personal care market, where consumer demand for transparency is driving the phase-out of synthetic ingredients. Formulators are modifying skin and hair care lines to substitute conventional chelants with plant-derived alternatives, such as sodium phytate and gluconates, which offer effective metal ion sequestration while aligning with eco-friendly product claims. This reformulation wave is supported by the sustained expansion of the downstream beauty sector, which continues to demand high volumes of compliant ingredients to satisfy a growing customer base. According to Cosmetics Europe’s 'European Cosmetics Market 2024' report from July 2025, the European cosmetics and personal care market reached a value of 103.9 billion euros in 2024, a 6.4% increase from the previous year, creating a substantial and expanding market for these natural chelation technologies.

Key Players Profiled in the Chelating Agents Market

• Akzo Nobel NV
• Archer Daniels Midland Company
• BASF SE
• Kemira Oyj
• The Dow Chemical Company
• Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation
• Nouryon Chemicals Holding B.V.
• Lonza Group AG
• Evonik Industries AG
• Ascend Performance Materials LLC

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Chelating Agents Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Chelating Agents Market, by Type:

• Aminopolycarboxylic Acid
• Sodium Gluconate
• Organophosphonate
• Others

Chelating Agents Market, by Application:

• Pulp and Paper
• Household and Industrial Cleaning
• Water Treatment
• Agrochemicals
• Personal Care
• Other

Chelating Agents Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Chelating Agents Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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