Biocides are chemicals or certain metals used for killingvarious categories of microorganisms at different stages in their life cycle. Major applications of biocides are in drinking and wastewater treatment, healthcare, and in the consumer goods industry.Consumer goods products include cosmetics, cleaning products, detergents, some toothpaste, and general disinfectant products. In addition, biocides are also used in the food industry at sublethal levels to act as preservatives to provide a longer shelf life for food products.
Businesses operating in the packaged food industry can cut down on their expenditure by incorporating biocides as an affordable alternative for preservation. The recoup of FMCG sector has had a ripple effect on the biocides industry.
Developing countries in the Asia Pacific region, like India and China, are focusing on making medical and pharmaceutical industry stronger. Take the instance of India, whose pharmacy industry is a force to be reckoned with on a global scale.
The country has been rightly termed as “pharmacy of the world” since it produces and manufacturers drugs. The industry is also observing high sales of biocides solutions.
Application of phenolics biocides in multifarious surgical procedures has also been in recent talks. New developments like these are forecast to catalyze demand for biocides.
Another futuristic application of biocides has recently surfaced. The chemical is deployed in botanical experiments to eradicate microorganisms and plants to assist in research and development programs. Manufacturers can capitalize on these applications that boast of significant profit margin.
Food exports across countries post the pandemic has generated a demand for sustainable food preservation solution. In this view, biocides have proved itself as a purveyor of sustainable food preservation solution. The biocide solution enables food preservation by creating a barrier between microorganisms and food items.
Since waterborne disorders are on the rise among population, demand for treated water has gained significant attention. Facilities located in coastal regions for wastewater treatment contain sterilization stage with chlorine.
This method to treat water has its cons. For instance, protozoa and viruses with exceptional resistance, are still left behind after the process. Anyone who is exposed to this water, directly or indirectly, is at a risk of getting infected.
In such situation, the role of biocides in water treatment cannot be emphasized enough. They act as a potential water treatment option and offer a profitable avenue, over the next 10 years.
The biocide market can be segmented by type as metallic compounds, halogen-based derivatives, organic acids, organ-sulfurs, and phenol-based compounds. Halogen compounds are the most commonlyused biocides in many industries followed by organic acids.Greater concern for better public health would drive the demand for disinfectant biocides in hospitals, railway stations, retail outlets, and other public places.
Several government and environmental regulations are imposed at different levels of the value chain in the biocide market, i.e., right from manufacturers to distributors, which act as an entry barrier for new entrants.Countries have numerous laws regarding labeling and storing biocide products and leftovers. Therefore, the market for biocides is expected to grow at a moderate CAGR over the next six years.
Certain new developments have taken place into the market. For instance, Clariant AG has launched its own biocides for applications in paints and coatings, known as NIPACIDE. The chemical prevents paints from any microbial contamination. Top biocide products include nipacide BIT 20, nipacide BIT 10 W, and nipacide BK.
Another innovation has been introduced by Veolia. The company has released Hydrex 7000 biocide chemicals for the purpose of water treatment. The chemical removes slime, bio fueling, corrosion, and development of hydrogen sulfide.
Geographically, North America dominates the biocide market. However,future demands for biocides are likely to come from emerging economies such as India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam.Some of the major players of biocides include Lonza Group, Dow Microbial Control, Ashland Inc., Champion Technologies, BASF SE, Troy Corporation, and Thor Specialties, Inc.
