Biosurfactants market to touch $2.2 bn by 2018

The global market for biosurfactants, an eco-friendly surfactants, is anticipated to grow progressively at a 3.5 percent CAGR between 2014 and 2018, and reach $ 2,210.5 million by 2018 from $ 1,735.5 million in 2011, according to a new report from the US-based market research and intelligence firm Transparency Market Research (TMR).
 
In terms of volume, the global biosurfactants demand is anticipated to record a total volume of 476,512.2 tonnes in 2018, with 21 percent of the total consumption by volume occurring in developing economies such as many in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
 
Biosurfactants, which are surface-active substances synthesised by living cells, are can be used as emulsifiers, de-emulsifiers, wetting agents, spreading agents, foaming agents, functional food ingredients and detergents in various industries.
 
Increasing regulatory encouragement for the usage of biosurfactants, rising awareness regarding the environmental impact of synthetic surfactants, and fluctuating crude oil prices are expected to drive the demand for biosurfactants in the forecast period. However, low availability of critical feedstock and lack of cost-competitiveness of biosurfactants against their synthetic counterpart are acting as restraints on the biosurfactants market globally.
 
The global biosurfactants market finds application in varied industries owing to the wide range of products on offer in the market. The end-use industries using biosurfactants products include industrial and institutional cleaners, agricultural chemicals, personal care, textiles, household detergents, oilfield chemicals, food processing, and other industries. As per the report, the personal care and household detergents application segments of the global biosurfactants market will dominate the global market, collectively holding more than 56.8 percent of the total market by the end of 2018. 
 
The global biosurfactants market has been segmented geographically into four regions, which are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World. “Among these regional segments, Europe is anticipated to lead the global biosurfactants market, accounting for 53.3 percent of the total market by the end of 2018. Europe will continue its dominance in terms of revenue as well as volume and will be followed by North America,” added the TMR report.