Demand for specialty biocides in the U.S. is forecast to rise 4.0 percent per year to $3.9 billion in 2018.  In volume terms, demand is expected to increase 1.0 percent annually to 1.5 billion pounds over the same period.  “A strong rebound in construction expenditures will support demand for biocides in the wood preservation and paint and coatings markets,” notes analyst Emily Park, “while growth in consumer spending and manufacturing output will support demand for biocides used in the production of various manufactured goods.”  A continued expansion in hydraulic fracturing activities, which require well stimulation fluids that contain biocides, will promote demand for biocides in the smaller energy market. These and other trends are presented in Biocides, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based market research firm.

Improving economic conditions, coupled with a rising emphasis on improved sanitation in production processes and workplaces, will be the primary driver of growth in the industrial markets for biocides.  Biocides for use in cleaning products are expected to remain the largest industrial market, and will show favorable growth prospects going forward as concerns about health care-associated infections, food contamination, and other health issues continue to rise.  The paint and coatings market for biocides is also expected to show favorable growth opportunities through 2018, with biocide use supported by increasing demand for paint in new construction and building maintenance applications, and by the continued growth in demand for water-based architectural paints, which require higher levels of biocides.

Biocide demand in the energy markets — including oilfield, pipeline, and refinery and additive applications — is expected to perform particularly well through 2018.  Growth will be supported by the increase in the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques, as tight oil and shale gas formations continue to play important roles in the US energy industry and as overall production has increased.  The well stimulation fluids used in hydraulic fracturing typically require biocides to prevent corrosion and production issues that may be caused by bacterial contamination.

The consumer and commercial markets for biocides are expected to show the slowest growth going forward.  Demand in the pool and spa segment, which accounts for the majority of this market, is projected to remain flat as the number of pools and spas in use is expected to grow slowly and as pool and spa biocides face rising competition from chemical generation equipment and other types of water disinfection equipment.