Rise In The Consumption of Water-based Paints And The Flourishing Residential Construction Sector Are Influencing Cellulose Ethers Market Growth

Cellulose Ethers Market Size is Forecast To Reach Us$5.9 Billion By 2026, After Growing At A CAGR Of 4.8% During 2021-2026. Rise in the consumption of water-based paints and the flourishing residential construction sector are influencing cellulose ethers market growth.

The Cellulose Ether market is growing at a significant rate during the forecast period. Water-soluble are virtually odorless. They deliver a number of benefits for water-based coatings, including improved viscosity, spatter and drop resistance, as well as better color stability and hiding power. Water-based coatings do not always contain solvents. Many contain co-solvents, which are low-concentration solvents that aid in the removal of the remaining water from the coating as it dries. However, because water-based coatings contain no or very little solvents, they are an excellent approach to reduce a company's VOC emissions. Thus owning to these factors the demand for cellulose ether in paints and coatings is increasing. Within the building and construction industry, cellulose ether is also used as an ingredient in dry-mix mortars, helping improve adhesion, flexibility, water retention, and workability.

The construction industry is forecast to bounce back after sustaining the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF), the Australian building and construction market is bouncing back. Based on Australia's capacity to restrict the spread of COVID-19 and the implementation of a comprehensive set of policy measures aimed at providing a strong stimulus and a quick recovery, growth is outpacing predictions. The updated predictions predict a 2.7 percent increase in building and construction activities in 2021, increasing the total to $243 billion. Furthermore, governments are also taking initiatives to increase the construction of residential homes to provide proper housing for the surging population. For instance, in Birmingham, £165 million (approximately $194.8 million) has been announced to unlock up to 5,100 homes and to provide the infrastructure to support these new homes. Furthermore, the government has launched a new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) with an allocation of GBP 23 billion (EUR 26.8 billion) (approximately $31.6 billion), in which GBP 7.2 billion (EUR 8.4 billion) (approximately $9.9 billion) is to support the construction of new homes. This will further drive cellulose ether market growth.

The Asia Pacific is anticipated to emerge as a major player in the global market over the forecast period due to the rapid urbanization, and increased population growth, and medical tourism. The escalating number of construction contracts and sites in countries such as India, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia are also driving the market for cellulose ethers. According to the International Trade Administration (ITA), China is the world’s largest construction market and the industry is forecasted to grow at an annual average of 5.2% in real terms between 2021 and 2029. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the residential sector is set to expand dramatically, with the federal government intends to build 20 million affordable houses in metropolitan areas across the country by 2022 under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' ambitious Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. Furthermore, the Indian government wants to accelerate growth in the food processing sector by leveraging reforms including 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in food marketing and other incentives at the federal and state levels, as well as a significant focus on supply chain infrastructure. Therefore, with the growing building and construction, food and beverage, and textile industry the demand for cellulose ether is projected to grow over the forecast period.

However, COVID-19 has negatively impacted the Cellulose Ether market in 2020 with the halt in the production across various countries. The global lockdowns to curb the virus have led to the decline in operations in sectors including, automotive, construction and so on, which significantly resulted in the decline of the market. In addition, the development of new COVID strains in countries such as India, the US, UK, Nigeria, and so on during the end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021 is further resulting in the lockdown and impacting the manufacturing and end-use sector thereby constraining the market growth rate.

Biodegradable cellulose ethers made from natural raw materials must meet stringent technical requirements in terms of strength, water resistance, and mechanics, but they must also allow full biodegradability under composting conditions within a three-month rotting cycle as a condition for composting disposal. Commercially accessible carboxymethyl cellulose possesses unique properties such as hydrophilicity, water solubility and stability, high chemical stability, nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. It also has no known negative consequences on human health.  However, some organic solvents, such as ethanol, making it insoluble. CMC solubility is determined by the degree of polymerization, the degree of substitution, and the substituent distribution. In the biomedical field, CMC can be utilized as a viscosity enhancing agent, rheological control agent, binder, stabilizer, and film forming, with a focus on medication administration and tissue regeneration. Ethyl cellulose is a biodegradable material with no water solubility, no toxicity, good film-forming, water resistance, and barrier-forming properties. At room temperature, ethyl cellulose has high strength, but as the temperature rises, the strength falls rapidly. Ethyl cellulose has the potential to be used in biological applications, particularly in the delivery of drugs.

The major companies in the Cellulose Ether market include The Dow Chemical Company, Lotte Fine Chemicals, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd., Ashland Inc., Nouryon Chemicals LLC., and others. These industry players are involved in various strategic initiatives to expand their presence. For instance, Dow expanded its methyl cellulose capacity to enable customers in the construction dry mix industry to guarantee a steady supply of critical chemicals in this growing market. These capacity expansions are part of a multi-phase construction chemical investment strategy that demonstrates the Company's commitment to the dry mix business. In March 2018, Lotte Fine Chemical expanded its cellulose ethers capacity for industrial applications. Hence, such developments by the key players are expected to boost its market growth over the forecast period.