Water Desalination Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Global Industry Analysis: By Technology (Reverse Osmosis [RO], Multi-Stage Flash [MSF], Multi-Effect Distillation [MED], Others), By Source (Sea Water, Brackish Water, Waste Water, Others), By Application (Municipal, Industrial, and Others) and Region Forecast 2019-2030

Water desalination market size was valued at US$ 13,594.0 million in 2023 and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 9.7% from 2024-2030. Desalination techniques remove dissolved salts and minerals from water. Brackish, saltwater, wells, surface (rivers and streams), wastewater, and industrial feed and process waterways are all possible feedwater sources. To counter inherent osmotic pressures and successfully drive water across membrane processes, membrane separation requires driving forces such as pressure (applied and vapor), electric potential, and concentration. As a result, the method is energy-heavy, and research to increase efficiency and minimize energy usage is ongoing.  

Seawater desalination has the ability to provide enough drinkable water to serve huge populations along the coast on a consistent basis. Around the coast, several membrane filtration seawater desalination facilities are now under construction or in the planned phases. The primary pressure-driven membrane processes are reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF). The most common membrane configurations are spiral wound, hollow fiber, and sheet, with spiral being the most common. Modern membranes are predominantly polymeric materials with cellulose acetate still employed to a much lesser degree.

RO and NF operating pressures vary from 50 to 1,000 PSIG (3.4 to 68 bar, 345 to 6896 kPa). Other locations, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) or the US states of Florida and California, are considering seawater desalination technology for irrigated agriculture. Agriculture is the most water-intensive industry in Saudi Arabia, accounting for more than 90% of total water use. As part of Saudi Arabia's effort to deal with restricted water resources, seawater desalination is offered as one solution. Several studies are being conducted to assess the feasibility of utilizing DSW for agricultural cultivation in this country, which has a desalination capability of over 2000 Mm3 per year.