Although the growth rate of China’s water treatment market in the period 2007-2012 is predicted by Freedonia to take a slight breather from the 20 percent-plus rates of the period 2002-2007, it will still be in the 15 percent to 17 percent range.
The Chinese are taking steps to use water more efficiently in the nation’s booming industrial sector, but industrial water usage will still grow by 15 percent annually through 2012, according to a Freedonia press release summarizing the report. Water reclamation and recycling in Chinese industry will result in strong markets for biocides and chelating agents as well as for advanced filtration and membrane systems, the company said.
In the municipal sector, China is continuing to expand its drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, and most smaller towns and rural areas still don’t have such systems, Freedonia says. In addition, China’s increasingly affluent population is demanding higher drinking water quality. As a result, the municipal water treatment sector will grow by more than 16 percent through 2012, according to the report.
“Even seawater desalination, often considered impractical because of its capital and energy costs, is being considered to address the dire situation of China’s water supply,” the press release said.
The total Chinese water treatment market is expected by Freedonia to increase from the 2007 value of 20.4 billion yuan (US$2.9 billion) to 42 billion yuan (US$6 billion) by 2012.
