Agricultural Wastewater Treatment Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Agricultural wastewater treatment market size is forecast to reach US$2.8 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 4.1% during 2021-2026 owing to the scarcity of water resources. The agriculture sector is well known as the largest user of water, accounting for nearly 70% of global water usage. The fact that an estimated 20 million hectares worldwide are irrigated with wastewater suggests a major source for irrigation. However, maximum wastewater that is used for irrigation is untreated. Mostly in developing countries, partially treated or untreated wastewater is used for irrigation purpose. Untreated wastewater contains a large range of contaminants including heavy metals, silage liquor, sediment runoff, fertilizers, animal slurry, and pesticides among other contaminants. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about significant health implications due to the direct use of wastewater for irrigation purposes. Wastewater also contains a wide variety of organic compounds. Some of them are toxic or carcinogenic. Hence wastewater from agriculture must undergo treatment before being used. Agricultural wastewater treatment is a farm management program for controlling pollution from confined animal operations and from sediment runoff that may be contaminated by chemicals in fertilizer, pesticides, animal slurry, crop residues or irrigation water. Rapid population growth and high urbanization rates, particularly in cities of the developing world, increased water scarcity and stress and agricultural water demand for food production are key factors that influence the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

The pandemic has disrupted economies worldwide, the agricultural industry too was not spared. Due to lockdowns and social distancing, hotels and restaurants had to shut leaving farmers with no buyers for their produce. Global exports were also hit hard with stringent customs regulations, transport and logistic issues and lockdowns at the global, national and regional level. Many parts of the world also experienced labour shortages as workers chose to wait out the lockdowns in their homes. All these factors affected the agricultural industry and subsequently the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

The report: “Agricultural Wastewater Treatment Market – Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

By Pollutant Source: Point source (Piggery, Animal feed production, Poultry, Winery, Dairy and Others), and Non-point source (Storm and groundwater runoff, Pesticides, Irrigation overflow and runoff and Others)

By Treatment Technology: Biological solutions, Physical solutions and Chemical solutions.

By Application: Farming, Soil resources, Groundwater resources, Dairy and Others

By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, and Africa)

The non-point source segment held the largest share of 61% in the agricultural wastewater treatment market in 2020. Agriculture accounts for 70% of total water consumption worldwide and is the single-largest contributor of non-point-source pollution to surface water and groundwater.  Pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture, organic waste, antibiotics, silage liquor, and processing wastes from crops can contaminate both groundwater and surface water. Nonpoint source pollution includes sediment runoff, nutrient runoff and pesticides. Point source pollution includes animal wastes, milking parlour (dairy farming) wastes, feed production waste, waste from winery, etc. Agricultural runoff (from farmlands to receiving waters) is a complicated pollution process, it is difficult to regulate the nutrients discharged via such process. Non-point source pollution has long been considered an important factor affecting the level of eutrophication. It has complex pollutant compositions including nitrates, ammonium, phosphorus compounds, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants. For example, agricultural non-point source pollution is estimated to be responsible for 21% and 71% of the total loading of nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively in Italy. Therefore, it is of considerable interest to adequately decrease agricultural non-point source pollutants to protect the water environment. Thus, as the demand for fertilizers increases, there will be an increase in the non-point source pollutants, therefore the need to eliminate also increases and thus driving the growth of the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

The chemical solutions segment held the largest share of 36% in the agricultural wastewater treatment market in 2020 as chemical treatment of agricultural wastewater expedites its disinfection. Water scarcity is one of the major problems in the world and millions of people have no access to freshwater. Untreated wastewater is widely used for agriculture in many countries. This is one of the world-leading serious environmental and public health concerns. Instead of using untreated wastewater, treated wastewater has been found more applicable and ecofriendly option. Wastewater can be treated by biological, physical and chemical solutions. Chemical wastewater treatment forces contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, fertilizers, organic substances, sludge etc. that are dissolved in wastewater to separate more easily through the targeted addition of specific substances. Some of the chemical processes used to treat wastewater are precipitation, ion exchange, flocculation, chemisorption, UV treatment, ozone treatment, etc. As the demand for use of agricultural wastewater increases, chemical solutions are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

The dairy segment held the significant share of 24% in the agricultural wastewater treatment market in 2020. According to FAO’s Food Outlook report 2021, the demand for dairy products has exhibited positive signs after a slowdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Global milk output in 2021 is forecast at 921 million tons, an increase of 1.6% from 2020, with Asia accounting for the highest volume, followed by North America. Increase in dairy cattle numbers in India and expanding large-scale farms in China sustain Asia’s milk output growth. World trade in dairy products is forecast at 88 million tons (in milk equivalents) in 2021, a rise of 2.6% from 2020, with a higher import concentration in Asia, especially in China. In dairy industries, water is a key processing medium. Water is used throughout all processing steps of the dairy industry including cleaning, sanitization, heating, cooling and cleaning of external areas. As a result, the water requirement is huge.  The practice of using treated agricultural wastewater can improve the dairy industry's environmental impacts and raise its profits, by reducing the dependence on freshwater. From an environmental perspective, the reuse contributes to a reduction in the uptake of natural water. In the dairy industry, the reuse of treated agricultural wastewater should be encouraged for replacing the water in cooling towers and for good manufacturing practices such as washing the floors and external part of trucks and rinsing outside areas. Owing to the various ways wastewater can be utilized boosts the dairy industry and also the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

Asia-Pacific region held the largest share of 47% in the agricultural wastewater treatment market in 2020, owing to high agricultural activities in the region. China stands out as the leading country in Asia for the reuse of wastewater. China accounts for approximately 12.9% of the cultivable land globally. According to FAO, China is the largest producer of various crops, including rice, wheat, pears, peaches, potatoes, lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables. Hence, the demand for agricultural wastewater treatment is rapidly increasing in the country. China is facing severe water problems including scarcity and pollution which are now becoming key factors restricting developments. Creating an alternative water resource and reducing effluent discharges, water reuse has been recognized as an integral part of water and wastewater management scheme in China. Most of the groundwater resources are chemically treated before being utilized for agriculture. In India, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. Agriculture accounts for more than 80% of the water usage According to Observer Research Foundation, in India 600 million people face acute water shortages and the demand for domestic water has risen by 20% since the pandemic as hygiene awareness has increased. India is the world's largest consumer of groundwater consuming 124% more than China or USA. If India utilizes 80% of wastewater from 110 of its most populous cities 75% of the water demand for industries can be met. Presently, it is estimated that, only 33% of the wastewater in India is getting treated. The growing agricultural production in the country is likely to drive the demand for agricultural wastewater treatment in the country. By utilizing about 85% of reclaimed water, Israel is the largest user of treated wastewater for agricultural land irrigation. According to United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in Asia, an estimated 85–90% of all fresh water resources are used for agriculture. Unprecedented population growth and shifts in dietary habits will increase food consumption in most regions of the world. According to UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), by 2050, due to an estimated additional production of 1 billion tons of cereals and 200 million tons of meat needed to satisfy growing future food demand, global agricultural water consumption is expected to increase even further, by 19%. Hence, owing to the rise in the agriculture industry, consumption of fertilizers, and growing population, the APAC region is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Global fresh water resources constitute about 2.5% of the total volume of water on Earth, and a considerably small fraction of less than 1% of this resource is the usable fresh water supply for ecosystems and human utilization. Fresh water resources, however, are not evenly distributed, and are already scarce in many parts of the world, affecting almost every continent. About one-third of the world’s population lives in basins that face water scarcity, either physically or economically. Physical water scarcity is the physical lack of available water to satisfy the demand, and economic water scarcity refers to a lack of institutional capacities to provide necessary water services and infrastructure development to control storage, distribution and access. According to the United Nation’s Water Report, at least 3.6 billion people will be experiencing water scarcity in 2050. Two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water-stressed conditions, and in Africa alone, it is estimated that 25 countries will be experiencing water stress. Agriculture is by far the largest user of fresh water resources. In order to satisfy growing food demands, related rises in agricultural water use are expected to increase the severity of water scarcity. In such water-scarce regions, wastewater is an important resource for irrigation. Water scarcity and the reliability of the water supply are crucial factors influencing the use of wastewater as an alternative resource. Hence there is a demand for wastewater treatment plants. This acts as a major driver for the agricultural wastewater treatment market during the forecast period.

When the COVID pandemic hit, doctors and experts recommended eating a protein rich diet. According to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the average worldwide consumer price of protein in May 2021 was 23% above its May 2020 level. World meat output in 2021 is forecast to expand by 2.2%, to 346 million tons, reflecting an anticipated rebound in meat production in China, where expansions are expected across all meat types, especially pig meat, facilitated by high investments in the value chain and efforts to control the spread of African swine fever. And in 2021, prospects are for the value of global agricultural trade, measured by exports, to increase by 8%, or $137 billion. Much of that growth reflects demand from East Asia, although the composition of the import basket there is expected to change significantly due in large part to the recovery of China's livestock sector. Livestock sector makes use of treated agricultural wastewater. Reusing wastewater in growing animal feed represents an opportunity to alleviate stress on the water and energy sectors while enhancing food production. Thus, it is anticipated that with the increased demand for proteins, there will be an upsurge in the demand for treated wastewater, which will subsequently drive the agricultural wastewater treatment market growth during the forecast period.

Poverty is the key underlying factor that significantly influences the above-mentioned principal drivers of wastewater use. In dense and rapidly growing regions, where increasing volumes of wastewater are being produced, insufficient financial and coping capacities constrain the establishment of comprehensive wastewater management systems for proper collection, treatment and use of wastewater in order to respond to the infrastructural needs of urbanization. However, the use of untreated wastewater is not limited to the countries and with the lowest GDP, but is also a common practice in many middle-income countries as well as they do not want to spend for additional treatment of wastewater. Such factors have become a major challenge for the agricultural wastewater treatment market.

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Agriculture Wastewater Treatment market. Agriculture Wastewater Treatment market top companies are AkzoNobel, BASF, Veolia Environment, Dow Water and Process Solutions, Evoqua Water Technologies Corporation, United Utilities, DAS Environmental Expert GmbH, Schlumberger, Siemens, GE Water and Process Technologies, Suez Environment, and Tetra Tech.