[228 Pages Report] The global dewatering equipment market size is projected to grow from USD 4.3 billion in 2020 to USD 5.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2020 to 2025. Rising environmental awareness and stringent regulatory laws regarding sludge disposal are expected to drive the dewatering equipment market.

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COVID-19 Impact on the Global Dewatering equipment Market

The dewatering equipment market includes major Tier I and II suppliers like Alfa Laval AB (Sweden), Andritz AG (Austria), Veolia Environnment SA (France), HUBER SE (Germany), and Gruppo Pieralisi (Italy), among others. These suppliers have their manufacturing facilities spread across various countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and RoW. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well.

In March 2020, Alfa Laval AB has set up a cross-functional Global Response Team to tackle the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has restricted all business-related travel and recommended the work from home option to its employees. The company has also cut down on investments and is aiming to reach a fixed cost savings of USD 110 million on a twelve-month rolling basis. The company has limited its manufacturing operations and project expansions based on the severity of the infection.

In March 2020, The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the operations of Andritz AG globally. Hence, the company has restricted all business-related travel and recommended work from home options to its employees. The company has also initiated temporary cost-saving initiatives in many countries to balance out the drop in its business revenue. The company has also limited its manufacturing operations and project expansions based on the severity of the infection.

In March 2020, in response to the public health crisis, Veolia Environnment SA has been deemed as an essential service provider due to its business operations in water purification, waste management, and energy provision. As a result, the company put forward a business continuity plan tailored for each country to maintain the production and delivery of drinking water as well as the treatment of wastewater, waste collection, and energy generation. The company has also initiated temporary cost-saving initiatives in many countries to balance out the drop in business revenue. The company has also limited its manufacturing operations and project expansions based on the severity of the infection.

In May 2020, HUBER SE has set up a cross-functional Global Response Team to tackle the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected its operations globally and, hence, the company has restricted all business-related travel and recommended work from home options to its employees. The company has limited its manufacturing operations and project expansions based on the severity of the infection.

Dewatering equipment Market Dynamics

Driver: Stringent regulations on the use and disposal of sludge

Industrial sludge and sewage sludge contain varying amounts of organic chemicals, toxic metals, chemical irritants, and pathogens, which may cause diseases. Untreated sludge disposed into rivers and seas adversely affects aquatic life and poses serious health hazards to communities living in the vicinity. Several environmental protection organizations have laid down sludge disposal laws that necessitate pretreatment as well as standards to be met prior to the disposal or reuse of sludge in agricultural or power generation activities.

In the Biosolids Laws and Regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency, as per 40 CFR Part 503 (the Rule or Regulation), standards for the use or disposal of sewage sludge have been established. The standards consist of general requirements, pollutant limits, management practices, and operational standards for the final use or disposal of sewage sludge generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in the treatment facility. Standards are also included for sewage sludge applied to land, placed on a surface disposal site, or fired in a sewage sludge incinerator. Also included are pathogen and alternative vector attraction reduction requirements for sewage sludge applied to land or placed on a surface disposal site.

Similarly, in the European Union, the Sewage Sludge Directive 86/278/EEC on the protection of the environment and soil prohibits the use of untreated sludge on agricultural land. Sewage sludge needs to undergo biological, chemical, or heat treatment, as well as long-term storage or any other appropriate process, so as to significantly reduce its fermentability and health hazards resulting from its use. This directive specifies rules for treatment, sampling, analysis, and keeping detailed records of the composition and properties of the sludge prior to being used in agricultural and other purposes.

Hence, increasing pressure from environment protection organizations for the treatment of sludge before its disposal has triggered the growth of the market for dewatering equipment.

Restraint: Varying sludge characteristics and measuring dewatering performance

Dewatering technology has witnessed considerable advancements with more efficient equipment such as decanter centrifuges, screw presses, and belt presses available in the market. However, the dewatering process still depends primarily on the characteristic of the sludge that must be treated. For instance, waste activated sludge is difficult to dewater, as the water gets attached to the bacterial cells or is taken up chemically in the cell structures of these microorganisms. On the other hand, well-digested primary sludge is relatively easy to dewater. Along with the improvements in sludge dewatering to achieve the highest solid content, it is also essential to establish a reliable dewatering index. Most traditional dewaterability techniques include Capillary Suction Time (CST) and Specific Resistance to Filtration (SRF), but these methods only measure the rate of filtration and do not consider complex variables associated with the dewatering process. Also, different dewatering equipment have different operations and intensity, which greatly affect the efficiency of sludge dewatering. Hence, the evaluation of sludge dewaterability is critical for any sludge treatment system where optimizing the dewatering process is the primary goal.

Opportunity: Use of recycled dry sludge in other end-use industries

Sewage sludge from the municipal and industrial sectors is polluted with harmful substances, such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, residues of pharmaceuticals products, pathogens, and microplastics. Disposal of dry sludge has become a major worldwide problem for many reasons, including the rapidly shrinking landfill space, increased environmental awareness, and more stringent environmental standards. Hence, finding alternatives for the proper disposal of dry sludge has become important.

Some emerging alternatives for the reuse of dry sludge are in the power generation, construction, and agricultural industries. One of the more environmentally friendly applications of dry sludge is energy recovery. It includes conversion of the sludge into biogas, syngas, or bio-oil, which can be further converted into electricity, mechanical energy, and heat. Similarly, dry sludge can be incinerated directly, or mixed with coal. Incineration can solve problems related to the disposal of dry sludge at landfills as most of it is converted into fine ash and, if used in place of coal for power generation, can yield positive financial benefits. Dry sludge can also be used directly in waste-to-energy plants, which are prevalent in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Recycled dry sludge can also be used in fabricating construction materials, such as bio-bricks, artificial aggregate, concrete mixtures, materials for reinstating eroded roadways, and replanting landfills, and in the manufacturing of low-grade ceramics & glass. Dry sewage sludge contains phosphorous, which is essential for the growth of living organisms and hence finds application in the agricultural industry as well. However, its use in agriculture necessitates pretreatment to remove heavy metals and plastics, which can degrade soil quality.

These additional uses of recycled dry sludge from municipal and industrial sectors provide a good opportunity to generate additional revenue for organizations involved in construction activities and, hence, may boost the demand for dewatering equipment.

Challenge: Dewatering sticky wastewater sludge

The sludge dewatering process is more complex than an ideal sedimentation process, and it requires additional pressure to dewater the material further once a certain threshold concentration is reached, called the gel point.

The major issue with dewatering and drying of activated sludge is the sticky behavior it exhibits when being partially dewatered, due to the so-called sticky phase of the sludge. The level of the stickiness of the sludge depends upon a host of factors, such as dryness, organic content, colloidal nature, and concentration of the sludge. This paste-like substance glues onto the surface of the dewatering equipment and causes operational and mechanical difficulties.

In practical applications, the capacity of dewatering equipment is significantly reduced due to partially dried sludge sticking onto the separator walls, screw presses, or decanter centrifuges. For this sticky sludge to be removed, the system must be stopped for a prolonged period of time for flushing. In cases where the sludge has been dewatered to the extent that it reaches the dryness range, the residue acts stickier and glues itself to the rotating parts of the equipment. This results in increased torque on the shaft and can also lead to substantial mechanical damage.

Sludge management in industrial sludge-handling installations is and will continue to be a challenge, and the sticky phase of the sludge is an issue common to all

Based on type, sludge dewatering segment accounted for the largest market share in 2019

By type, the sludge dewatering segment accounted for the largest share of the dewatering equipment market in 2019. The sludge dewatering process significantly reduces the volume of sludge and increases the solid content. The reduction in volume reduces costs related to treatment and transportation of the sludge. Dry solids content, retention time, type of compounds present, and type and efficiency of the sludge stabilization process are some of the factors that affect the dewatering ability of sludge. Sludge dewatering equipment is the more widely used dewatering equipment in comparison to other dewatering equipment, such as plastic, paper, cloth, mineral tailing, and food. Sludge dewatering equipment led the dewatering equipment market in 2019 and is projected to have a higher demand in the coming years.

Based on technology, the centrifuge segment accounted for the largest market share in 2019

By technology, the centrifuge segment accounted for the largest share of the dewatering equipment market in 2019. Centrifuges separate solids from liquids through sedimentation and centrifugal force. Although there are several types of centrifuges available, the solid bowl decanter type, also known as scroll centrifuge, is most widely used for the dewatering of water and sewage plant sludge. Some of the key factors driving the demand for centrifuges include lower capital cost required in comparison to filter press, minimal requirement of attention by the operator, and compact modular and closed system design that reduces the potential for messy spillage or splashing of sludge or water onto floors.

Europe accounted for the largest share of the dewatering equipment market in 2019

Europe accounted for the largest share of the dewatering equipment market in 2019. This large share can be attributed to the increased sludge production due to the rising urbanization and population along with strict sludge treatment legislation introduced by the European Union. The dewatering equipment market is highly competitive in the European region due to the presence of established players, such as HUBER SE, Veolia Environnment SA, SUEZ, and Aqseptence Group. Stringent European laws on wastewater treatment and reuse of sludge for agriculture purposes are expected to drive the demand for dewatering equipment in the process chain of sludge treatment.

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Key Market Players

Alfa Laval AB (Sweden), Andritz AG (Austria), Veolia Environnement SA (France), HUBER SE (Germany), Gruppo Pieralisi (Italy), Hitachi Zosen Corporation (Japan), Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. (US), SUEZ (France), GEA (Germany), Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha, Ltd. (Japan) are some of the leading players operating in the dewatering equipment market.

Scope of the Report:

Report Metric Details Market Size Available for Years 2018�2025 Base Year Considered 2019 Forecast Period 2020�2025 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Segments Covered Type, Technology, and Application Geographies Covered North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and South America Companies Covered Alfa Laval AB (Sweden), Andritz AG (Austria), Veolia Environnement SA (France), HUBER SE (Germany), Gruppo Pieralisi (Italy), Hitachi Zosen Corporation (Japan), Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. (US), SUEZ (France), GEA (Germany), Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha, Ltd. (Japan), among others

This research report categorizes the dewatering equipment market based on type, technology, application and region and forecasts revenues as well as analyzes trends in each of these submarkets.

Based on the Type:

Sludge Dewatering

Other Dewatering (Paper Dewatering, Plastic Dewatering)

Based on the Application:

Industrial Refineries Mining Petroleum Chemical & Pharmaceuticals Food & Beverages Others(Paper & Pulp, Textile)

Municipal Residential Commercial



Based on the Technology

Centrifuges

Belt Presses

Filter Presses

Vacuum Filters

Drying Beds

Sludge Lagoons

Others (Rotary Press, Screw Press)

Based on the Region:

Asia Pacific

North America

Europe

Middle East & Africa

South America

Recent Developments

In September 2019, Alfa Laval AB launched its new ALDEC G3 VecFlow decanter centrifuge for sludge dewatering and thickening at the WEFTEC exhibition in Chicago, US. The new decanter centrifuge features the company�s unique VecFlow feed zone that reduces power consumption by 30% by reducing the turbulence of the systems by more than 80%, thus increasing separation performance. This product has been specifically designed for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants.

In March 2020, HUBER SE expanded its footprint in the US with the opening of a new office and a production unit in Denver, North Carolina. The company has a presence in the US market since the 1980s. However, all the equipment was either imported or sold through third-party vendors. The company has been experiencing a yearly increase in order intake but, at the same time, facing local restrictions, such as the Buy American Act, which prompted the company to set up the new facility in Denver. This new unit includes over 44,000 sq. ft. of a manufacturing facility and will focus on producing the company�s screening and dewatering products, such as HUBER Wash Press WAP series.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What is dewatering equipment? Dewatering equipment are equipments that are used to remove water from a volume of liquid, solid material or soil. What are the major types of dewatering equipment? There are two major types of equipments sludge dewatering equipments and other dewatering such as paper dewatering, plastic dewatering, among others. Which are the key countries expected to fuel the dewatering equipment market? The dewatering equipment market is expected to grow the fastest in China, followed by India What are the key driving factors for the dewatering equipment market? Why? Rising environmental awareness and stringent regulatory laws regarding sludge disposal are expected to drive the dewatering equipment market. What are the major challenges which may hinder the growth of the dewatering equipment market? Dewatering sticky wastewater sludge is a major challenge that the manufacturers of dewatering equipment are facing and this can hinder the growth of the overall dewatering equipment market. .

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