RO membrane chemicals are used to remove the hard salts, iron, minerals, colloidal, bacteria, and other microorganisms that get deposited on the surface of the membranes during the water purification process. Biocides & antiscalants, acid membrane cleaners, and alkaline cleaners are some of the key RO membrane chemicals used to prevent membrane fouling and membrane scaling caused by the substances.
According to the MRFR analysis, the global RO membrane chemicals market is projected to register 7.88% CAGR to reach USD 2,750.9 million by the end of 2025. The global RO membrane chemicals market has been segmented by type and application. Based on type, the global RO membrane chemicals market has been segmented into biocides & antiscalants, acid membrane cleaners, and alkaline membrane cleaners.
The major growth driver of the global market is the rising demand for ultra-high-quality water in numerous industries. The use of reverse osmosis membrane systems is increasing to produce highly purified water for numerous applications as it helps to remove all the small and large ions, colloids, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens from the feed water. The surge in demand for RO membrane systems is likely to result in increased demand for RO membrane chemicals to remove the impurities collected on the surface of membranes during operation and enhance the performance of the membranes. Some of the major applications that require ultra-high-quality water for operation include drinking water systems, industrial boilers, seawater desalination, food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical production, and cosmetics. The consumption of reverse osmosis membranes is increasing in the power generation industry in feed water purification systems owing to a reduction in the frequency of ion exchange regeneration, which leads to increased product reliability and reduced maintenance costs. The emphasis on renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower for power generation to eliminate carbon emissions has resulted in the growth of the power generation industry, which is expected to propel the growth of the RO membranes and hence, RO membrane chemicals market in the coming years. The demand for quality water with no bacteria and microorganisms is increasing in the pharmaceuticals industry in various applications, which include drug manufacturing, an active pharmaceutical ingredient, non-compendial waters, laboratory waters, and equipment rinsing and cleaning. Additionally, regulations against the quality of water used in the manufacturing of drugs by the US Environmental Protection Agency is driving the demand for ultrapure water and thus, RO membranes and RO membrane chemicals. Similarly, the electrical and electronics industry requires a large quantity of ultrapure water in the manufacturing of microelectronics such as semiconductors chips, display, and data storage devices during cleaning and etching processes. Hence, the increasing requirement for highly pure water in the applications above is driving the demand for RO membranes, which is expected to boost the demand for RO membrane chemicals further.
However, the use of nanofiltration technology for potable water generation and replacement of RO membranes in desalination and prevalence of low fouling membranes are factors expected to hamper the demand during the forecast period.
Regional Analysis
Geographically, the global RO membrane chemicals market has been studied across five key regions, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.
The market in Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of the global RO membrane chemicals in 2017 with USD 715.5 million and is expected to exhibit 8.64% CAGR to reach to USD 1,354.7 by the end of 2025. The market growth is attributed to the growing major end-use industries such as water treatment, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and power generation. The markets in North America and Europe are likely to register a significant CAGR during the review period on account of increasing environmental regulations against wastewater discharge. The market in South America is expected to exhibit at 7.61% CAGR by the end of 2025 on account of increasing industrialization in the region. The Middle East & African market is likely to register a healthy CAGR during the review period due to the increasing number of desalination plants to meet the growing water requirement in the region.
Segmentation
The global RO membrane chemicals market has been segmented on the basis of type, application, and region.
On the basis of type, the global RO membrane chemicals market has been segmented into acid membrane cleaners, alkaline membrane cleaners, and biocides & antiscalants. Among these, biocides & antiscalants are the most widely used RO membrane chemicals as they help to remove the possibility of a reduction in the effectiveness of cleaning and remove the majority of biofilms without causing damage to the elements of the membrane. The alkaline membrane cleaners segment accounted for the second-largest share of the global RO membrane chemicals market and is expected to register a 7.61% CAGR during the review period.
By application, the global RO membranes chemicals market has been segmented into membrane cleaning, membrane fouling, and membrane scale control. The membrane fouling segment accounted for the largest share of the global RO membrane chemicals market in 2017 and is expected to exhibit 8.60% CAGR during the review period.
The global RO membrane chemicals market has been analyzed across five major regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.
Key Players
Some of the key players operating in the global RO membrane chemicals market are DowDuPont (US), BASF SE (Germany), Clariant (Switzerland), PolyOne (US), Biocote Limited (UK), SteriTouch Ltd (UK), Sanitized AG (Switzerland), Biosafe Inc (US), NanoBioMatters (Spain), W.M. Barr & Company, Inc (US), Milliken Chemical (US), and Addmaster Limited (UK).

Geographic Analysis
The report covers a brief analysis of geographies including:
> North America
o US
o Canada
o Mexico
> Europe
o Germany
o Italy
o France
o Spain
o UK
o Rest of Europe
> Asia-Pacific
o China
o Japan
o India
o Rest of Asia-Pacific
> South America
> Middle East & Africa
Key Findings
> As per MRFR analysis, the global RO membrane chemicals market was valued at USD 1,537.1 million in 2017 and is expected to register a CAGR of 7.88% to reach USD 2,750.9 million by the end of 2025.
> The biocides & antiscalants segment accounted for the largest market share and was valued at USD 621.4 million in 2017; it is expected to reach USD 1,168.8 million by the end of 2025. The growth is attributed to the increasing use of biocides to control the buildup of slime, microorganisms, and biofilm.
> The membrane fouling segment accounted for the largest share of the global RO membrane chemicals market and was valued at USD 624.2 million in 2017; it is expected to reach USD 1,177.9 million by the end of 2025. The deposition of substances such as mineral scale, biofilms, colloidal particles, and insoluble organic constituents at the surface of the membrane during the purification process results in membrane fouling.
> The market in Asia-Pacific accounted for a 46.2% share and was valued at USD 715.5 million in 2017; it is expected to reach USD 1,354.7 million by the end of 2025. The market growth is attributed to the growing major end-use industries such as oil and gas, water treatment, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and power generation.
> The global demand for RO membrane chemical is driven by the increasing requirement of highly purified water in numerous applications, which include drinking water systems, industrial boilers, food and beverage processing, pharmaceuticals, airplanes, and microelectronics, among others. The increase in several desalination plants to meet the growing demand for water is another critical factor driving the growth of the global RO membrane chemicals market globally.
Intended Audience
> Water treatment chemicals manufacturers
> RO membrane chemicals manufacturers
> Raw material suppliers
> Traders and distributors of RO membrane chemicals
> Production process industries
> Potential investors
> Government bodies
DC ? Description
> biocides
> antiscalants
> membrane fouling
> RO membrane chemicals
> water treatment chemicals