The organic polymers which dissolve, disperse and swells in water to form aqueous solution are called water soluble polymers. Water-soluble polymers are of three types, natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic polymers. Polymers such as polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid copolymer etc are water-soluble polymers. Natural water-soluble polymers such as guar gum, xanthan gum, pectin, gelatine etc are obtained from plant and animal sources. Whereas semi-synthetic polymers are produced form microbial source or by chemical alternation of natural water-soluble polymers.
The water-soluble polymers find use in various applications such as in super plasticisers, water treatment, food and beverages, oilfield, pharmaceutical drugs, coatings & adhesives, textile, paper, construction etc. and perform various functions in aqueous media such as stabilizers, thickeners, flocculants, coagulants, humectants, binders, lubricants, dispersing and suspending agents.
Major players in the water-soluble polymers industry include:
Synthetic water-soluble polymer was estimated to be the largest consumed type globally in 2021. Water-soluble polymers were dominated by Water treatment application in 2021 and it is forecast to remain the same from 2022-2032. Synthetic polymers such as polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polyamines, polyethyleneimine, quaternary ammonium polymers etc are majorly used for municipal, wastewater and industrial water treatment applications. Water treatment polymers are used as flocculants and the charged particles in them neutralises the charge of colloidal particle suspended in water and destabilise them, leading to the formation of aggregates which are easier to separate. It also widely used to remove viruses, bacteria, pesticides, grease, surfactants, nitrogenous and phosphorous substances and heavy metals from urban sewage and during industrial wastewater treatment.
Asia pacific was estimated to dominate the market of water-soluble polymers in 2021 and it is projected to grow at a faster rate in the forecast period. This is owing to high demand of water-soluble polymers in wastewater treatment application in Northeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia region. China is projected to dominate the water-soluble market in Asia Pacific in 2021 on the back of growing demand from water treatment industry. As per the 13th Five-year plan, China will spend around RMB 559 Billion on water treatment industry. For the period, 2021-2025, China aims to build or renovate sewage collection pipeline network of 80,000 km. In addition to this, the country is planning to expand the sewage treatment capacity by 20 million cubic metre per day from 2021-2025. to The shift towards environmental protection, stringent regulations, and government funds have caused an increase in demand of waste-water treatment facilities in China.
In India, the demand of wastewater treatment and distribution is driven by the country’s high demand of water which is projected to be twice by 2030. The government of India has taken various government initiatives such as the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation etc to promote wastewater treatment in the country.
The market of water-soluble polymers is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 5% during 2022-2032 driven by the demand in water treatment, oil field and pharmaceutical industries Asia-Pacific and North America. Oil and gas industry uses water-soluble polymers for various operations such as drilling, cementing, treatment of oil-contaminated system, production of oil and gas well, deposition control etc. The major application of water-soluble polymers is as additives in the hydraulic fracturing fluids to maximise the oil production. Around 40% of the world’s oil wells are stimulated with hydraulic fracturing. Polymers additives such as guar gum, xanthan gum, hydrolysed polyacrylamide etc are used to improve the function of water-based fluids used in hydraulic fracturing.
As per U.S Energy Department, around 95% new wells drilled in USA are hydraulically fractured which accounts for around two-third of total natural gas production in USA. The key demand drivers for development of America’s shale gas resources Energy security, economic and environment benefits, high energy demand from power, manufacturing, transportation etc, less import dependence. Federal regulations such as Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Safe Water Drinking Act, National Environment Policy Act, etc are governing the development of hydraulic fracturing in USA.
Kemira (an Italian company providing sustainable solution for water treatment industries) press started full scale production of bio-based water-soluble polymers in February 2022 and will ship the first volume to water treatment plant of Helsinki Region Environmental services. HSY is a municipal body and provides water services Helsinki Metropolitan area, Finland.
BASF has jointly launched an eco-friendly industrial packaging material, a water based acrylic dispersion Joncryl, with Nippon Paint China. This water-based acrylic dispersion packaging material was commercialised to be the first material to be used in the construction of dry mortar paint of Nippon Paint, China due to its excellent vapour and water resistance properties replacing paper.
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