Industrial circulating water treatment chemicals primarily refer to chemical agents used for the treatment of industrial circulating water. Their main purpose is to help industrial enterprises achieve water conservation, energy savings, and reduce wastewater discharge in their production processes. Additionally, they play a role in minimizing scaling and corrosion in production equipment, reducing sludge adhesion, improving operational efficiency, and extending the service life of equipment.
With the rapid development of modern industry, the demand for water resources continues to grow. In the face of global and domestic water scarcity, the state vigorously advocates a circular economy and promotes energy conservation and emission reduction. Against this backdrop, the industrial circulating water treatment chemicals industry is expected to experience rapid development.
1. Definition and Classification
Industrial circulating water treatment chemicals refer to chemical agents used for the treatment of industrial circulating water. After repeated use in industrial processes, ions such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, and SO₄²⁻, dissolved solids, and suspended solids in the water increase accordingly. Pollutants from the air, such as dust, debris, soluble gases, and material leakage from heat exchangers, can also enter the circulating water. This leads to corrosion and scaling in the equipment and pipelines of the circulating water system, reducing the heat transfer efficiency of heat exchangers, narrowing water flow sections, and even causing corrosion-induced perforations in equipment and pipelines.
The primary function of industrial circulating water treatment chemicals is to ensure the optimal operation of equipment such as cooling towers and chillers, control the proliferation of microbial colonies, inhibit scale formation, and prevent corrosion in pipelines and equipment. This helps achieve the goals of reducing energy consumption and extending equipment service life [1, 2].
The main types of water treatment chemicals used for industrial circulating water treatment include scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, biocides and algaecides, cleaning agents, and pre-filming agents.
2. Global Market Size
From the perspective of global supply and demand for industrial circulating water treatment chemicals, the domestic markets in developed countries have largely reached saturation and have shifted toward large-scale exports. In contrast, the demand in developing countries is growing rapidly [3], far exceeding the growth rates of 3%–4% in the United States and Europe.
As of 2010, the global market size for industrial circulating water treatment chemicals reached 134.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.82 percentage points. It is projected that the global market for these chemicals will maintain a growth rate of approximately 3% in the coming years. Figure 1 illustrates the global market size for industrial circulating water treatment chemicals from 2007 to 2016.
3. Market Size in China
In 2010, the market size for industrial circulating water treatment chemicals in China reached 5.635 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.45 percentage points. It is expected that, with the sustained and steady growth of China's economy and increasingly stringent environmental requirements, the market for industrial circulating water treatment chemicals will continue to grow at a rate of over 6% in the coming years. By 2016, its market size is projected to reach 8.68 billion yuan.
