Membrane Technologies Market in Water and Wastewater (WWW) Treatment in Southeast Asia, Forecast to 2021

The Southeast Asia (SE Asia) Membrane Technologies market, comprising Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF), and Reverse Osmosis (RO), is growing steadily thanks to the region-wide focus on cleaner water and wastewater. The market is forecasted to grow at a double digit Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.9% from 2016 to 2021, propelled by consumer demand for cleaner water, stricter effluent regulations, and the need for space-efficient and resource-efficient decentralized treatment systems.

In addition to the analysis of market growth factors, this study offers insights into the broader trends influencing the membrane market and its participants. Privatization and decentralization of water resource management have become a major drivers of change in the Southeast Asian water sector. Strong investment is also expected in the sector due to a shift in the investment focus from China and India toward emerging markets. This environment of innovation and change has proved beneficial to the membrane technologies market, with the pace of project implementation in the region increasing and a leapfrogging in technology adoption of membrane-based systems.

The nascent membrane technologies market in Southeast Asia is still highly fragmented, but membrane market leaders from Japan and Europe have already begun capitalizing on the largely under-developed SE Asian membrane market. Key companies in the region include GE Water (Suez), Toray Membranes, Hyflux, Veolia Water, and Evoqua. While Singapore and Malaysia are currently the markets with the highest revenue, frontier markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam will offer the highest growth potential. In terms of market segment performance, the market share of microfiltration membranes will gradually be eroded by advanced membrane technologies due to the need for higher quality treated effluent.

Research Scope:

This study covers only the membrane filtration elements that are used in the construction of membrane systems, and excludes the costs associated with the design, integration, and operation and maintenance of these systems. The market trends are analyzed for the study period 2012 to 2021, with the base year being 2016. The market is segmented by the key technologies in the market—MF, UF, NF, and RO. Though Forward Osmosis (FO), an upcoming membrane technology, it is excluded from the scope of this study. In addition to the drivers and restraints in the market, this study also highlights key market trends and enablers in the study regions. The scope of this study is limited to the market pertaining to membrane technologies used in industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment applications.