According to a new technical market research report, MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS: GLOBAL MARKETS (MST047B) from BCC Research , the global market for membrane bioreactor technology is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5%, increasing in value from $296.0 million in 2008 to $488.0 million by 2013.

The global market for membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology for wastewater treatment has grown steadily since 1990, when it was worth only $1 million. Growth rates of MBR systems are not the same for all world regions and are not increasing from the same base. Common to all regions, however, is the fact that sales of the technology are growing faster than the gross domestic products of countries installing the systems and more rapidly than the industries that use them.

Municipal/domestic wastewater treatment was the earliest application of MBRs and is still the largest application, accounting for 44% of all systems. During the forecast period, sewage treatment will continue to be the primary use for MBR systems. A trend toward larger capacity municipal plants is prevalent in the U.S. and Europe. However, satellite wastewater plants for smaller communities, housing developments, tourist resorts, schools, shopping centers etc. also are in demand. Growth in this sector is expected to increase in all world regions, driven by the adoption of MBRs for treating numerous small domestic waste streams.

In the earth's hydrologic cycle, fresh water supplies are fixed and constant, while global water demand is growing. With each passing year, the quality of the planet's water measurably deteriorates, presenting challenges for the major users: the municipal, industrial, and environmental sectors. MBR systems have emerged over the past 10 years as an effective solution to transforming various wastewaters into high quality effluent suitable for discharge to the environment and increasingly into a reusable product.