Flotation Reagents Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Flotation Reagent Market Overview

The flotation reagent market size is estimated to reach US$6.8 billion by 2027 and is growing at a CAGR of around 5.7% from 2022 to 2027. Froth flotation is an important technique used by many industries for separating hydrophobic materials from hydrophilic. Flotation reagents like flocculants, collectors, frothers, and others are chemicals that are used in the froth flotation process. The flotation Reagent market finds application in mining industries, oil and gas industry, paper industry, chemical industry, and others. There are many upcoming huge mining industry projects which will drive the flotation reagents market. This is because mining projects involve metallurgy, mineral processing processes and thus require flotation reagents for the ores beneficiation. Additionally, increasing oil and gas construction projects will also drive the flotation reagent industry in the forecast period. 

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the Flotation Reagent market. This is because due to the pandemic, the operational projects in the mining industry slowed down and witnessed delays due to imposed lockdown restrictions in major countries like Europe, South America, the United States, and others. For instance, In April 2020, Olkusz-Pomorzany zinc and lead mine in Poland due to the radical changes caused by the outbreak of the pandemic decided to end mining operations. Additionally, the European Lithium company reported significant delays in work in mid-2020. This slowdown of mining operations by various mining companies and halt of metallurgy processes due to the covid 19 crisis negatively impacted the flotation reagent market.

Report Coverage

The report: “Flotation Reagent Market– Forecast (2022-2027)” by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Flotation Reagent Industry.
By Product Type: Flocculants, Collectors, Frother, Activators, Regulators, and Others
By End-Use Industry: Mining Industry, Oil And Gas Industry, Wastewater Treatment, Paper Industry, and Others
By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Rest of the Middle East) and Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Rest of Africa)

Key Takeaways

• The growth of mining industry projects in the South American region will drive the market. This is because there will be a demand for high-performance flotation reagents like flocculants, collectors and others, to be used to separate minerals from hydrophilic in metallurgy and mineral processing which will drive the flotation reagents market.
• The increasing growth of oil and gas construction projects which will require floatation reagents in exploration and drilling processes will drive the demand of the market.
• The growth of flocculants due to the rise in mining projects will drive the flotation reagent market.

Figure: South America Flotation Reagent Market Revenue, 2021-2027 (US$ Billion)

Flotation Reagent Market Segment Analysis – By Product Type

By product type, flocculants are expected to account for the largest share in the global market in 2021 and is expected to grow by 5.3% during the forecast period. This is because of their extensive use in the mining industry to treat the water which is used in mineral extraction and flotation processes. For instance, NASFLOC, a major player in the flotation reagent market, offers a range of flocculants like the Nasfloc 1000 series: Non-Ionic powder flocculants, Nasfloc 2000 series: Anionic powder flocculants, Nasfloc 3000 series: Cationic powder flocculants, and others. This range of high-performance flocculants provides a wide range of charge density and molecular weight products which help in the treatment of mineral processing slurries. The upcoming mining projects will increase the demand for flocculants. For instance, the Chuquicamata project, Chile is an ongoing copper mining project in the world that involves transforming the world’s largest open-pit mine of Chuquicamata into a modern underground operation of great magnitude through the block caving method of exploitation. The entire project will be completed by 2026 in three stages.  Due to such huge upcoming mining projects, there will be more demand for flocculants to treat the water used in mineral extraction and flotation processes. Thus, the demand for flocculants will increase the growth of the flotation reagent industry.

Flotation Reagent Market Segment Analysis – By End-use industry

By end-use industry, the mining industry is expected to account for the largest share in the global market in 2021 and is expected to grow by over 4.5% during the forecast period. This is because of the increase in mining projects in the forecast period. Flotation reagents help in the flotation process which is an important process in the mining industry for extracting valuable minerals out of ores and these are used in various steps in the mining processes like mineral processing and metallurgy. Due to the rise in upcoming mining projects, there will be a demand for flotation reagents like flocculants.  For instance, the Pedra Branca platinum group element (PGE) project in northeastern Brazil, is an ongoing mining drilling project at Santo Amaro in which a total of 19 holes are drilled of around 7231 ft, with a primary focus on resource expansion, with the final drill hole still in progress. Due to such drilling projects in the mining industry, there will be an increase in mineral processing and metallurgy processes which will require flotation reagents and thus will increase their demand in the forecast period.

Flotation Reagent Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

South America held a significant share in the Flotation Reagent market in the year 2021. This is because the mining industry is growing at a higher pace in South America. For instance, The Vermelho Vermelho Nickel-Cobalt project, Brazil is an ongoing project which comprises a planned open-pit nickel laterite mining operation that covers several different pits. The hydro-metallurgical process comprises a beneficiation plant where ore is upgraded and then processed in a refining plant to produce sulfates. Metallurgical processes will require flotation reagents for the ores beneficiation. Additionally, the Quebrada Blanca Phase II (QBP2) Expansion Project, Tarapaca, Chile, is a US$ 4.7 billion construction project of an open-pit copper-molybdenum-silver mine that will also include building a seawater desalination plant. This will be one of the largest mines in Chile after completion and among the 20 largest mines in the world. Floating reagents like flocculants are used in various stages of metallurgy for solids thickening and sludge dewatering. Floating reagents take away mineral components from saline water. Thus, due to such a huge upcoming project in the South American region, there will be an increase in demand for the floating reagents market.  

Flotation Reagent Market Drivers

An increase in mining projects in the forecast period is driving the demand for the Flotation Reagent market

There has been a significant increase in construction projects upcoming in the mining industry which will create a demand for Flotation Reagent. For instance, the Cerro Buenos Aires project and Redondo-Veronica project, Northern Chile, are ongoing reverse circulation drilling projects involving a drilling process that got completed in 2021, but further planning for a deeper diamond drilling in the forecast period. Flotation reagents are required in the process to extract valuable minerals from the ores. Thus, such upcoming mining projects in the forecast period will increase the demand for flotation reagents market.

An increase in oil and gas drilling projects will drive the market growth of the Flotation Reagent market

There is an increase in explorations and developments in the oil and gas industry will drive the market growth of the Flotation Reagent market. This is because increasing oilfield explorations and developments in the oil and gas industry will require flotation reagents like frothers, flocculants for the separation of liquids and solid particles. According to a press release by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, the Berri gas plant project will include the up-gradation of its sulfur recovery plant and install more storage tanks. Owing to such projects which will involve the installation of metal recovery plant construction,  there will be an increased demand for flotation reagents. 

Flotation Reagent Market Challenges

The environmental impacts due to mining activities can be a challenge to the Flotation Reagent market

The environmental impacts caused by the mining operations are posing a threat to the flotation reagents market. According to National Renewable Energy Laboratory, mining activities such as blasting and processing results in mining waste containing toxic chemicals from processing energy used by mining activities and release harmful GHG emissions. Due to this mining operations are facing challenges which is a threat for metallurgy and mineral processing activities. This will create a challenge towards the demand for flotation reagents market.

Flotation Reagent Industry Outlook

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies that are adopted by the dominant players in this market. Flotation Reagent Market top 10 companies include:

• Tata Steel  BASF SE
• Cytec Solvay Group
• Clariant AG
• Kemira OYJ
• Huntsman
• Dow Chemical
• AkzoNobel
• SNF FLOERGER SAS
• Nasaco International Ltd.
• Orica

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

On Jan 2020, Nasaco International Ltd. introduced the NASFROTH range of alcohol and glycol frothers which includes formulations and blends, which directly through their action improve grade, recovery or both in a float circuit.

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