Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)

The tertiary water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment Market size was valued at USD 31.45 billion in 2025 and is estimated to grow from USD 33.23 billion in 2026 to reach USD 43.76 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 5.66% during the forecast period (2026-2031). This report is segmented by Product Type (Conventional/Non-Membrane Filtration Equipment, Disinfection Equipment, and More), Application (Wastewater Treatment, Water Treatment, and More), End-Use Industry (Municipal, Industrial, and Agricultural Irrigation), and Geography (Asia-Pacific, North America, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Global Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment Market Trends and Insights

Stricter Effluent, Nutrient, and Reuse Standards

Stricter requirements for effluent quality, nutrients, and reuse are supporting demand across the tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market. Tighter wastewater requirements are increasing attention on micropollutants and advanced treatment at larger facilities. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other persistent contaminants need treatment trains that combine adsorption, ion exchange, membranes, oxidation, or final disinfection. Calgon Carbon Corporation is expanding carbon reactivation capacity at its Columbus, Ohio, plant to support demand related to PFAS compliance. These requirements favor suppliers that can combine equipment with operating support and testing capability. They also make retrofits more complex because new tertiary equipment must work with existing hydraulic and biological processes. Utilities must assess monitoring, residual handling, and operator training when they select a treatment configuration.

Freshwater Scarcity and Drought-Resilience Investment

Freshwater scarcity is making reuse a practical water-security option for utilities and industrial sites in the tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market. The World Bank identifies water reuse as a route to expand water supplies for municipal and industrial users. Reuse projects require dependable removal of pathogens, salts, nutrients, and trace contaminants before treated water can enter its intended use. This need raises demand for filtration, membrane separation, advanced oxidation, and disinfection equipment. Drought-driven capital programs can continue after immediate shortages ease because plants require ongoing operation, replacement parts, and service support. The resulting demand is relevant in water-stressed parts of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and the western United States. It also makes dependable treatment performance more important when reused water supports essential municipal or manufacturing activity.

High Capital and Lifecycle Operating Costs

High capital and lifecycle operating costs can delay purchases in the tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market. Municipal budgets in lower-income economies are often designed for basic treatment and may not cover advanced equipment, civil works, or extended commissioning. Advanced oxidation and evaporation systems can increase project costs when compared with conventional physical and chemical treatment. Membrane replacement, chemical use, labor, and maintenance also affect the full cost of ownership after commissioning. Financing tools can improve affordability, but access remains uneven among municipal operators. These conditions make modular and phase installations more relevant, where buyers cannot fund complete upgrades at once. They can also lead purchasers to select proven equipment with predictable maintenance requirements over more complex configurations.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

• Industrial Water Circularity and Freshwater Cost Avoidance
• Aging Treatment Assets and Retrofit Demand
• Energy Intensity of Membrane and Advanced Oxidation Systems

Segment Analysis

Conventional/non-membrane filtration equipment held 35.10% of revenue in 2025. Sand, multimedia, and granular activated carbon systems remain widely used in municipal and industrial facilities. Their installed base supports demand for media replacement, backwash improvements, reactivation services, and performance upgrades. Calgon Carbon Corporation announced a nearly USD 100 million expansion at its Columbus, Ohio, facility in February 2026. The project is expected to add 27 million pounds of annual drinking-water carbon reactivation capacity by 2028. Disinfection equipment continues to support pathogen control in drinking water and reuse applications. Clarification and flotation equipment also remain important in plant designs that manage suspended solids before final polishing. These equipment classes can reduce the load placed on downstream membranes and oxidation units. Their continued use reflects the need to sequence treatment steps around the characteristics of each wastewater stream.

Membrane separation systems are projected to advance at a 6.34% CAGR through 2031. They are supported by discharge rules, industrial reuse requirements, and the need for compact systems. DuPont introduced ultrafiltration modules with an integrated pre-filter in April 2026. The approach combines 2 treatment steps in one unit and can reduce space requirements at constrained sites. Advanced oxidation, adsorption, and specialty treatment equipment have a related role where plants must remove PFAS and other difficult contaminants. Product competition is increasingly based on system reliability, operating simplicity, and how well equipment fits the complete treatment train. Membrane suppliers must, therefore, demonstrate both contaminant removal and stable operation over the intended service interval. This requirement supports interest in materials and module designs that limit fouling and simplify cleaning.

Complete Report Scope:

• By Product Type
  • Conventional/Non-Membrane Filtration Equipment
  • Membrane Separation Systems
  • Disinfection Equipment
  • Clarification and Flotation Equipment
  • Advanced Oxidation, Adsorption, and Specialty Treatment Equipment
  • Other Product Types
• By Application
  • Wastewater Treatment
  • Water Treatment
  • Integrated Circuit (IC) Manufacturing
  • Water Reuse and Recycling
  • Desalination
• By End-Use Industry
  • Municipal
  • Industrial
  • Agricultural Irrigation
• By Geography
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • ASEAN Countries
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Italy
    • NORDIC Countries
    • Rest of Europe
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Rest of South America
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • South Africa
    • Rest of Middle East and Africa

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific held 35.72% of revenue in 2025 and is projected to advance at a 6.23% CAGR through 2031. China, India, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries combine large urban treatment needs with growing industrial water requirements. Veolia secured 15-year operations and maintenance contracts in February 2026 for Mumbai’s Bhandup and Panjrapur water treatment plants. The facilities have capacities of 2.00 billion liters per day and 910 million liters per day, respectively. They are expected to supply more than 60% of Mumbai’s water needs when operational by 2030. South Korea’s semiconductor investment also supports demand for high-specification ultrapure water and wastewater treatment systems. The regional tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market benefits from new construction as well as upgrades to existing plants. This mix supports sales of both complete treatment trains and additions to existing systems. Regional suppliers must meet different municipal and industrial requirements across many countries.

North America is supported by water-quality compliance and the replacement of aging assets. The American Water Works Association has documented substantial investment needs in the United States drinking water infrastructure. This need supports phased projects involving filtration, disinfection, monitoring, and related treatment equipment. Xylem and Amazon Web Services (AWS) partnered in September 2025 on smart water upgrades in Mexico City and Monterrey. The partnership targeted annual savings of more than 1.3 billion liters through leak detection and predictive analytics. The tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market in the region covers municipal modernization, industrial reuse, and new water supply projects. Its demand profile is broad because utility and industrial buyers face different but connected water management needs. Municipal operators need dependable compliance and asset renewal, while industrial sites may prioritize process-water reliability and reuse. These requirements support a varied set of treatment technologies and service models.

Europe is planning upgrades as advanced treatment requirements and contaminant concerns become more important. LANXESS reported that its Lewatit MDS TP 108 selective resin removed more than 99% of PFAS compounds at a Chemours facility in the Netherlands. Suppliers can use these applications to demonstrate performance against contaminants that conventional systems may not fully address. South America and the Middle East and Africa are earlier-stage areas for advanced systems, but industrial recycling projects are adding demand. Veolia announced a USD 500 million industrial water recycling project for Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP) in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in September 2025. The project includes a moving bed biofilm reactor, membrane, and clarification technologies. These regions can provide future growth where regulation, water scarcity, and industrial expansion raise the case for tertiary treatment. Projects may begin with industrial recycling before broader municipal upgrades become viable. Suppliers that can adapt systems to local water conditions can address this varied demand.

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

• ALFA LAVAL
• Aquatech
• Calgon Carbon Corporation
• DuPont
• Ecolab Inc.
• FILTEC
• Fluence Corporation Limited
• Hydroflux
• Osmoflo
• Ovivo Water Inc.
• Pentair
• Thermax Limited
• Veolia
• Xylem

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support