Gas Separation Membrane Market

Global Gas Separation Membrane Market Size (2024 to 2029)

The global Gas Separation Membrane Market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% from 2024 to 2029 and the market size is expected to be valued at USD 3.67 billion by 2029 from USD 2.26 billion in 2024.

MARKET OVERVIEW

Gas separation membrane processes are essential in industries to remove harmful substances and waste from their operations, ensuring efficiency and prolonging equipment life. The gases released by industries can be very corrosive, damaging pipelines and disrupting processes. For natural gas processing, separation is crucial. Manufacturers are now creating strong membrane materials that are more selective, allow gases to pass through easily, and are affordable. This is driving the growth of the gas separation membrane market. Compared to other types of membranes, gas separation membranes are the most cost-effective in the industry. Additionally, governments in various countries are enforcing strict regulations to monitor and control carbon dioxide emissions, which also contributes to the growth of the gas separation membrane industry. Some advantages of these membranes include saving energy, requiring less investment, reducing operational costs, and more, which further boosts the industry's growth.

MARKET DRIVERS

Gas separation membranes play a crucial role in many industries by separating carbon dioxide from gas streams. This is especially important in natural gas purification, enhanced oil recovery, and biogas purification. Carbon dioxide is considered an acid gas and can cause corrosion in pipelines and equipment when mixed with water. It also reduces the heating value and capacity of natural gas pipelines. Removing carbon dioxide is essential in liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants to prevent freezing in low-temperature chillers. There are various methods to remove carbon dioxide, such as the Benfield process, amine guard process, cryogenic process, pressure swing adsorption, thermal swing adsorption, and membranes. Among these, membrane technology is gaining popularity because it is cost-effective and allows for efficient natural gas transmission. This growing demand for carbon dioxide removal using gas separation membranes is expected to drive the gas separation membrane market demand.

MARKET RESTRAINTS

Gas separation membranes currently have limitations when it comes to handling large amounts of gas. They are more suitable for moderate-volume gas streams due to issues with how fast they can separate gases and their ability to be selective. Amine absorption is commonly used for removing carbon dioxide from natural gas and biogas. Pressure swing adsorption is chosen for nitrogen generation and oxygen enrichment applications because it is more efficient and reliable, especially in harsh conditions. Pressure swing adsorption can achieve higher purity levels compared to membranes. It also has a longer lifespan.

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Users prefer strong membrane materials that are cost-effective and can handle extreme environments in gas separation processes. In recent years, research and development have focused on inorganic membranes made of materials like ceramic, glass, and zeolites. While these materials offer excellent properties, they are expensive to process and about three times more costly than polymeric membranes. To overcome this, mixed matrix membranes are being developed. These membranes combine polymeric materials with inorganic particles like zeolites, creating a cost-effective solution that has the advantages of both types of membranes. The hybrid materials are affordable and have better mechanical properties compared to typical inorganic membranes. These create more opportunities for the gas separation membrane market growth.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Gas Separation Membrane Market

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns worldwide have caused financial difficulties for businesses in all sectors, including private healthcare. Industries like oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical devices have also been affected due to disruptions in their supply chains caused by strict lockdowns in many places. However, once the lockdown restrictions ease, there is expected to be an increase in demand for the gas separation membrane market. The pandemic has impacted the economy in three main ways, which are by affecting production and demand directly, causing disruptions in distribution channels, and affecting companies and financial markets financially. Because of these impacts, the growth of the global gas separation membrane market may be limited during the forecast period, as the production and supply of equipment in the oil & gas and biomedical industries decreased during the pandemic.

REPORT COVERAGE

SEGMENTAL ANALYSIS

Global Gas Separation Membrane Market By Material 

The gas separation membrane market share is mainly dominated by the polyimide and polyamide segments.

This is because polyamide and polyimide membranes have excellent properties like high selectivity, permeability, chemical and thermal stability, and mechanical strength. They are also good at forming films. These membranes are widely used in various applications, such as CO2 recovery during oil extraction, separating oxygen and nitrogen from the air, and purifying natural gas. They are favored because they are easy to work with and cost-effective to produce.

Global Gas Separation Membrane Market By Application 

The nitrogen generation and oxygen enrichment segment is leading with the dominant gas separation membrane market shares.

This is because there is a growing need for efficient and affordable systems to produce nitrogen and concentrate oxygen. These gases are essential in industries like oil and gas, mining, and electronics. In nitrogen generation, gas separation membranes help create pure nitrogen gas from the air. The membrane allows nitrogen to pass through easily while blocking other gases, giving us the desired nitrogen output. Similarly, in oxygen enrichment, these membranes are used to concentrate oxygen from the air. The membranes let oxygen through while keeping other gases out, producing an enriched oxygen stream. These applications are used in various industries like chemicals, electronics, food, healthcare, and metal processing, where a continuous supply of pure nitrogen or concentrated oxygen is necessary for specific processes. The gas separation membranes used in these applications are energy-efficient, reliable, and easy to use, making them popular choices for nitrogen generation and oxygen enrichment processes worldwide.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Asia-Pacific dominates the gas separation membrane market and is expected to have the largest and fastest-growing market for gas separation membranes.

This is because of the region's increasing industrialization, which boosts the demand for energy-efficient and cost-effective gas separation techniques. The growing need for carbon dioxide removal, improved sanitation and freshwater, urbanization, and better living standards are driving the market's growth. The region's rapid growth, innovation, and industry consolidations are also contributing to the market's expansion. Additionally, the significant increase in natural gas production in the region is likely to drive the demand for gas separation membranes in acid gas separation. In North America, distillation is the main energy-consuming process, with over 40,000 distillation columns used for various separations. However, other processes like absorption, crystallization, and membrane separations are becoming more attractive due to their advantages. Membranes, in particular, do not require sorbents or a thermal driving force for separation. They are currently used in various industries for tasks like acid gas removal, nitrogen enrichment, and refinery gas purification. This is a major factor driving the gas separation membrane market in North America, especially in the United States.

KEY PLAYERS IN THE GLOBAL GAS SEPARATION MEMBRANE MARKET

Air Liquide Advanced Separations, Fujifilm Manufacturing Europe B.V., DIC Corporation, Evonik Industries AG, Parker-Hannifin, UBE Industries, Schlumberger Limited, Honeywell Uop, Sepratek Inc., 0Air Products and Chemicals are some of the notable companies in the global Gas Separation Membrane Market.

RECENT HAPPENINGS IN THE MARKET

• In January 2023, UBE Corporation announced that they are expanding their production facilities for gas separation membranes, specifically for CO2 separation membranes, to meet the increasing demand. The new facilities will be operational in the first half of fiscal year 2025 and will increase production capacity by about 1.8 times.

• In January 2022, Toray Industries, Inc. developed a special module for separating hydrogen from mixed gases. This new module is highly efficient and selective, allowing it to permeate hydrogen while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than half compared to traditional methods. It also requires fewer modules to achieve the same results.

DETAILED SEGMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL GAS SEPARATION MEMBRANE MARKET INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT

This research report on the global gas separation membrane market has been segmented and sub-segmented based on material, application, and region.

By Material 

• Polyimide & Polyamide
• Polysulfide
• Cellulose Acetate
• Others

By Application 

• Nitrogen Generation & Oxygen Enrichment
• Hydrogen Recovery
• Carbon Dioxide Removal
• Others

By Region 

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa