The global ceramic membrane market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 12% from 2017-2021, according to a recent market study from Technavio. The global ceramic membrane market is growing due to increasing demand from various end-use industries such as water and wastewater treatment, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

In 2016, by technology, the ultrafiltration segment had the largest share, accounting for 48% of the total market share, because of its efficiency in both non-aqueous and aqueous solutions. By application, the water and wastewater treatment segment had the largest market share (55%) due to increasing issues with water scarcity, water desalination processes, and growing demand for quality water. The food and beverages segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR due to increasing demand for recovery of materials, sterilization of milk, and clarification of juices and beer.

Water treatment is a stepwise procedure to eliminate chemical, physical and biological contaminants. It eliminates bacteria, solids, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from wastewater. Ceramic membranes are used to replace conventional water treatment techniques such as biological and chemical treatment, as well as physical filtration.

“The water and wastewater treatment segment has the largest share of 55% of the global ceramic membrane market,” said Hitesh Bhatia, a lead metals and minerals research analyst. “This is owing to the growing demand for safe drinking water, increasing issues of water scarcity, and water desalination processes. Ceramic membrane filtration helps in filtering fluids down to 0.005 microns and helps in removing most of the contaminants. It removes oils and greases, metallic soaps, biological solids and insoluble salts, metal fines and hydroxides, and colloids from the wastewater stream.”

Among all the separation technologies in the food and beverage industry, ceramic membranes are widely used due to their low-temperature processing and less energy-intensive nature. Filtration, isolation, acidification or deacidification, and purification are crucial in food and beverage applications. 

“In this segment, water reuse solutions decrease the consumption of water and energy, which minimizes the plant’s environmental impact and aids the companies in reaching their water usage ratio goals,” said Hitesh. “The dairy and beverage segments are the major application areas for ceramic membranes in the industry. They are also used for prefiltration in reverse-osmosis manufacturing plants.”

Nanofiltration ceramic membranes play a crucial role in the filtration and sterilization of medical appliances. Bioceramics are bio-compatible ceramic materials mainly employed in medical and dental applications such as replacements and implants, especially dental and bone implants. Joint replacements are coated with bio-ceramics to reduce the inflammatory response and wear. Other applications of bioceramics include use in kidney dialysis machines, pacemakers, and respirators.

For more information, visit www.technavio.com.