Thanks to the rapid growth in Asia, flow control and treatment revenues in the municipal wastewater treatment sector will grow to over $23 billion in 2014. This is the latest aggregation from a number of market reports published by the McIlvaine Company.
The biggest expenditures will be for pumps which are needed in the transport of sewage to the treatment plant, through the treatment processes, and then to move the purified water to a receiving stream. Treatment chemicals are the next largest segment. They are used in primary and secondary treatment to provide separation, corrosion control and, more recently, reduction of odors. The chemical demand is increasing due to tougher regulations in many countries.
There has been a growth in the use of cross-flow membrane technology due to the need to further purify effluent for reuse. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) usage has also grown rapidly.
The belt filter presses (one of the macrofiltration technologies) compete with centrifuges to dewater the sewage sludge. Larger plants tend to select centrifuges where smaller plants opt for belt presses. The benefits of automation of the processes are justifying greater monitoring expenditures. Smart valves are another advancement to improve plant efficiency.
