Global nanomembrane market is anticipated to witness significant growth on account of widespread applications coupled with rising demand for clean processed water. Increasing demand from pharmaceutical and medicine industry for extraction of amino acids and lipids from blood cells is expected to catalyze market growth over the next seven years. Nanomembranes are filters that separate gases and liquids at the molecular level and hence are expected to witness increased demand in separation applications. Properties such as low maintenance, modular design, low space requirement than conventional barriers, and cost-effectiveness make them ideally suited for applications including recycling of chemical compounds. Technological advancements coupled with increasing R&D to develop improved nanomembranes are further expected to accelerate the market demand over the projected period. Rising demand for potable water coupled with reduced freshwater sources, environmental restrictions on municipal and industrial wastewater discharges are expected to further fuel nanomembranes market development.
Nanomembrane market can be segmented on the basis of applications which include water & wastewater treatment, food & beverage, chemical & petrochemical, pharmaceutical & biomedical, metalworking, agriculture, textiles, and solid waste management. Wastewater application represents the largest share of the market owing to increasing sales of nanofiltration membranes for desalination, water softening, and wastewater treatment. Pharmaceutical & biomedical application is the fastest growing segment on account of nanofiltration used for plasma purification, fractioning of proteins, preparation of desalted and concentrated antibiotics, virus removal from plasma products, immobilization of cells and enzymes in biosynthesis, and filtration of RNA, DNA and endotoxins. On the basis of membrane type, they can be classified as polymeric, hybrid and inorganic.
Technological advancements in nanomembranes include functionalized membranes such as carbon nanotube membranes and nanofiltration technology for food processing industry Composite nanomembranes are engineered with nickel, gold, carbon and polymers to meet demanding requirements for selective and fast molecular separation. The unique ion-exchange, magnetic, electrocataylic, and optical properties of nano membranes make them ideally suited for nanopore biosensors in biomedical diagnostics and implantable drug delivery.
North America emerged as the largest geographical market for nanomembranes in 2014 and is expected to witness strong growth over the coming seven years. Asia Pacific and European markets are expected to witness significant growth owing to strong demand from end-use industries in these regions. Global industrial expansion and rising population are propelling the demand for better water treatment technology, providing opportunity for the overall nanomembrane separation technology market growth.
The nanomembrane market is fragmented with several players which include Pall Corporation, 3M Company, Loch Membrane Systems Inc, Degremont SA, Dow Chemical Company, GEA Filtration, Nitto Denko Corporation, Veolia Environment, Merck Millipore, Culligan International Company, Applied Membranes, Inc, Celgard LLC and Evoqua Water Technologies. Other companies such as Advantec are investing in R&D for production and marketing of good quality membrane separation products.