The study, based on an analysis of the US disinfectant and antimicrobial chemical industry from 1998 to 2008, examined the market demand for phenolics, iodophors, nitrogen compounds, organo-metallics, organo-suphurs, chloroisocyanurates and aldehydes. Particular emphasis was placed on the disinfectant markets for processing food and beverages and restaurants as well as for paints, coatings, plastics, and textiles.
According to the report: “The gains will result from increased consumer concerns fueled in large part by well-publicized lapses in proper sanitation techniques in food and beverage processing facilities. Growth for antimicrobial additives will be driven by changes in product formulations such as water-based industrial coatings, which are more susceptible to microbes, as well as by rebounding coatings production, as that industry recovers from a subpar 2008.“
Food safety
But the need to improve food safety, after incidents involving peanut processing and fresh produce items, will be balanced against concerns about the risks of creating more resistant microbial strains via the overuse of disinfectant hand cleansers and hard surface cleaning products.
Also, disinfectant and anti-microbial product use will be driven by product registration and regulatory compliance costs towards value products that offer performance and safety, says the report. This will be at the expense of products that can create workplace hazards or require special training and equipment.
The report adds that consumers will continue to favor hand soaps and other products which contain triclosan or other additives that offer antimicrobial properties.
Key industry players
The study also assesses market share data and profiles key industry players, including Arch Chemicals, Dow, Ecolab, Lonza, Rohm and Haas, and Troy.
Freedonia’s previous report on the US disinfectant and antimicrobial chemical market published in 2005 forecast that the market would grow by five per cent each year up to 2009 based on concerns about bacterial and pathogenic threats. It forecast then that phenolic compounds, iodophors, nitrogen compounds and organometallics would remain the top products. The dominant disinfectant segment would continue to outpace antimicrobials, it said.