Increased disinfectant demands forecast in US
Advances will be driven by production increases in key markets, including paints and coatings
US demand for disinfectant and anti-microbial chemicals is projected to increase by 5% annually to US$930m in 2009, according to a new report by industrial market research firm The Freedonia Group.
Advances will be driven by production increases in several key markets, including paints and coatings, plastics, and food and beverage processing.
The study, Disinfectant & Antimicrobial Chemicals, says that in institutional and commercial markets, gains will be prompted by concerns about E. coli, Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens, as well as threats posed by bacteria, viruses and other microbes.
In the consumer segment, growth will be boosted by the preferences for hand cleansers, dishwashing liquids and other cleaning products that include antibacterial or disinfectant actives. However, further advances will be limited by concerns about overuse of disinfectant actives and the potential development of resistant strains of bacteria.
Among industrial markets, growth will be led by food and beverage processing, where growth in food processing activity, coupled with heightened awareness of the health risks and potential liability associated with foodborne pathogens, will spur greater disinfectant use.
Gains will also be strong in the coatings market, due in large part to growth in coatings production and the ongoing shift to waterborne formulations in the industrial market. Continuing growth in plastics production overall, especially PVC production, will sustain growth for antimicrobial additives in this sector.
Phenolic compounds, iodophors, nitrogen compounds and organometallics will remain the largest product categories, accounting for three-quarters of demand in 2009. Phenolic compounds will be the largest single type, due to their extensive use in the large medical and food processing markets and the popularity of triclosan and triclocarban in soaps and other cleaning products.
Iodophors will be the next largest type due to their broad spectrum germicidal activity, compatibility with a variety of cleaning formulations, and synergistic action in disinfectant blends containing more than one active ingredient or an active ingredient mixed with a commodity such as isopropanol. Gains could also be pushed due to growing use of surface disinfectants in food processing plants, dairies and health care facilities, and as additives for paints and coatings.
Disinfectant & Antimicrobial Chemicals is available for $4,100 from The Freedonia Group.
