According to a new report from energy research publisher SBI Energy, membrane technology reverse osmosis will see the largest growth, reaching US$39.5 billion by 2020.
“Economic and population growth are the largest drivers for desalination technology,” said Shelly Carr, publisher of SBI Energy. “The explosive growth of this market is due to a solution-based alternative to the diminishing supply of the world’s most important resource.”
World Desalination Components and Technologies says the cost of desalination is highly influenced by the amount of energy consumed, causing energy efficient membrane technologies, specifically reverse osmosis, to be the most viable option.
“The lower operating costs of membrane technologies, which include reverse osmosis, microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, make them a more attractive option,” said Carr. “This segment will grow significantly more than its thermal counterpart.”
