Polyacrylamide Market Analysis By Product (Anionic, Cationic, Non-ionic), By Application (Water treatment, Oil & Gas, Paper Making), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global polyacrylamide market size was estimated at USD 4.01 billion in 2016. The growing demand for the product across various application industries including wastewater treatment, oil recovery, paper making and food & beverage is expected to propel the industry growth.

Abundant raw material availability, low labor, and land cost coupled with high consumption in Asia Pacific region are likely to compel manufacturers to set-up their production plants in this region. However, the presence of numerous Chinese manufacturers, which offer their product for relatively lower prices are expected to be key threats for the new manufacturers.

The U.S. polyacrylamide market is expected to surge owing to the growth of water treatment, paper making, and mining industries. The regulations and amendments on the wastewater treatment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are expected to propel demand for water treatment chemicals, impacting the industry on a positive note.

The industry is dominated by the multinationals including SNF Group, CNPC, BASF and Kemira which accounted for over 50% of the overall market. These players have a widespread distribution system in the domestic as well as international market. In addition, the companies are expected to increase their production volumes in order to tap the rising demand across the globe.

The polyacrylamide prices are directly dependent on the raw material pricing namely, acrylic acid and acrylonitrile, which are derived from crude oil. Increasing trends of crude oil prices are likely to raise raw material pricing in the industry, resulting in upward trends in the polyacrylamide price trends over the next nine years.

The major manufacturers such as SNF and BASF have brand values and strategic partners which enable easy marketing of their products. The manufacturers are likely to improve product quality and invest more in R&D to reduce the overall polyacrylamide cost to tap the consumer base.

Product Insights

Anionic and cationic polyacrylamide polymers were the dominant product segments, accounting for over 75% of overall demand in 2015. These anionic polyacrylamide polymers are used in applications including wastewater treatment, pulp and paper industry, aquaculture, food & beverage, coal mining, food & beverage and oil & gas industries.

The anionic polyacrylamide polymers have a high demand for industrial wastewater treatment and municipal sewage treatment as a flocculating agent. The increasing impure water discharge from industries, growing scarcity of potable water, is expected to drive demand for polyacrylamide in water treatment application over the next eight years.

The demand for cationic polymers in 2015 was valued at over 1.3 billion owing to its high demand as retention and drainage aids in papermaking, flocculants in waste water treatment. These polymers act as stabilizers for emulsion polymerization in cosmetics. The aforementioned factors are expected to open new avenues for the market growth over the next nine years.

Application Insights

The demand for the product in water treatment application was valued at USD 1.56 billion in 2016. The rising demand of polyacrylamide to treat municipal and industrial sewage is expected to propel demand. Furthermore, increasing government initiatives to promote water treatment industry is likely to have a positive impact on the market growth.

The demand for the product from oil & gas industry for enhancement of oil recovery is expected to grow over the forecast period as it improves the oil recovery efficiency. Also, the use of polyacrylamide in adjusting the drilling fluidity, carry shale debris, lubricate the drill bit and control fluid loss is expected to drive the demand for the product in oil & gas applications.

In paper making industry the product works as retention agent and improves paper quality. As a result, its demand in paper making application is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 6.0% from 2017 to 2025. Furthermore, its use as a dispersing agent in reducing the fiber flocculation to improve the paper formation process is likely to propel demand over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

In North America, the demand for the product is dominated by the water treatment application, which accounts for 50% of the overall demand. Stringent regulatory actions against wastewater disposal coupled with rising concern towards the environment are expected to drive water treatment activities in the region, which in turn is likely to complement growth.

The demand for polyacrylamide in Germany was valued at USD 249.8 million in 2016. The country is the largest water technology exporter in Europe. In addition, high investments on the water recycling and purification technology in the region are expected to drive demand for the product in water treatment activities over the forecast period. 

China accounted for the major share in the market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7.9% from 2017 to 2025. The robust base of pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing industries in the region has resulted in huge volumes of waste water, which is expected to propel demand for the product as a water treatment chemical over the forecast period.

Competitive Insights

Manufacturers are expected to invest more on capacity expansion in order to meet the rising consumer demand and strengthen the company position in the industry. For example, in 2015, SNF Holding expanded its production capacity by building a new plant in Louisiana in order to expand the product business in the domestic as well as international market.

BASF SE accounts for a significant share of the global polyacrylamide market. The company is involved in the production of polyacrylamide polymers for use in wastewater treatment. It is also used in micro, single or dual particle retention systems in the manufacturing of newsprint, printing & writing papers, and paperboard grades.

Report Scope

Segments covered in the report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis on the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global polyacrylamide market on the basis of product, application and region:

• Product Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Anionic

  • Cationic

  • Non ionic

• Application Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Water treatment

  • Oil & Gas

  • Paper Making

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa