According to an independent market research firm, the ultraviolet disinfection market will expand to reach an estimated value of $2.5 billion in 2019.
Based on a $993 million value in 2012, New York-based Persistence Market Research also predicts a compound annual growth rate of 14.1 percent in the years from 2013 to 2019.
The surge is anticipated due to the replacement of traditional chlorine-based disinfection with UV technology — a technique, findings suggest, that many consumers, companies, and government entities see as a lower-cost maintenance option.
The pool and hot tub industry is not the only driver of UV market growth. Some Western European countries are expected to invest $123.8 billion by 2017 in drinking water treatment and water network facilities, which will likely include the use of UV disinfection equipment, Persistence reported. North America is also expected to show a continued increase in market demand from the healthcare industry in the United States.
The research firm listed low installation and operation costs, and ease of maintenance as reasons the products will become more popular in the coming years. UV treatment takes 6 to 10 seconds to treat water in a contact tank compared with chlorine, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes, according to findings from Persistence Market Research.
Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), a sanitation method that works by combining ozone and UV disinfection, is becoming a trend beyond the wastewater-treatment world and is effective against chlorine-resistant cryptosporidium and giardia without leaving harmful byproducts, Persistence said. In addition to healthcare applications, AOP also has recently become an affordable option for residential pools, report manufacturers of the systems.
New technological advances may also have an impact on the uptick of UV disinfection equipment usage. In 2012, the UV Light Emitting Diode (LED) was introduced to UV disinfection, bringing added energy efficiency and a reduction in unit size. Data from Persistence Market Research puts the annual energy consumption cost for an LED system around $279 and a traditional UV lamp at around $4,562.