Increasing demand for chelating agents from the pulp and paper and cleaning and detergent industry is expected to drive the demand for the market over the next few years. In addition, the growth of the global pulp and paper industry is subsequently expected to fuel the demand for chelating agents over the forecast period. Furthermore, rapid industrialization coupled with stringent government policies for clean and fresh water for various applications, such as water treatment chemicals among others, is expected to fuel the demand for chelating agents. However, growing ecological risks as a result of usage of certain non-biodegradable chelating agents, such as EDTA, is expected to hamper the growth of the market in the near future. Due to this factor, new opportunities are expected to open for manufacturers to develop eco-friendly, innovative, and safer chelating agents such as gluconates and citric acid.
Demand for chelating agents was highest from the pulp and paper industry in 2012. With the growing global demand for paper and paperboard, the global pulp and paper industry has grown significantly the past few years, boosting the demand for chelating agents in certain bleach applications.
Asia Pacific was the largest market for chelating agents and was valued at $1,441.2 million in 2012 due to the presence of a significant number of chelating agent manufacturers in Asia Pacific, particularly in China. Also, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth over the next few years due to increasing usage of chelating agents in the existing large-scale pulp and paper and textile industries, particularly in China and India. Europe trails behind Asia Pacific where chelating agents are being increasingly used in healthcare and pharmaceutical applications.
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TAPPI
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