Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment

Global Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment Market to Reach ## by 2030

The global market for Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment estimated at ## in the year 2024, is expected to reach ## by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 0.0% over the analysis period 2024-2030.

Global Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment Market – Key Trends & Drivers Summarized

Is the World Moving Toward Advanced Water Purification as a Necessity?

With growing concerns around water scarcity, environmental sustainability, and regulatory enforcement, tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment is increasingly being viewed not as a luxury but a critical infrastructure requirement. Tertiary treatment—often the final and most advanced phase in the treatment cycle—removes residual contaminants, nutrients, pathogens, and micropollutants that primary and secondary treatments cannot adequately address. This stage often employs advanced filtration, disinfection, nutrient removal, and chemical treatment technologies to achieve water quality levels suitable for reuse in agriculture, industry, and even potable applications. As cities expand and industrialization intensifies, the load on existing wastewater systems is increasing, making tertiary treatment essential to prevent ecosystem degradation and public health risks. Global mandates around effluent discharge quality, such as those from the EPA, EU Water Framework Directive, and various national pollution control boards, are pushing municipal bodies and private operators to upgrade or retrofit treatment plants with tertiary systems. Additionally, the global trend toward water reuse and recycling—especially in water-stressed regions like the Middle East, parts of Asia-Pacific, and Western U.S.—is driving robust demand for membrane filtration systems, UV disinfection units, and nutrient removal modules. These systems not only improve compliance but also allow treated water to be safely reintegrated into natural water bodies or industrial cycles, closing the loop on sustainable water management.

Why Are Industrial and Municipal Sectors Prioritizing Tertiary Treatment?

Industries and municipalities are rapidly acknowledging the strategic and operational benefits of integrating tertiary treatment into their water management practices. For municipalities, the pressure to deliver high-quality treated water that meets tightening regulatory standards and community expectations is pushing investments in advanced treatment equipment. Tertiary processes such as activated carbon filtration, ozonation, and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are increasingly being installed in urban wastewater treatment plants to manage contaminants like pharmaceuticals, nitrates, phosphates, and emerging pollutants. In parallel, the industrial sector—especially high-discharge industries such as power generation, food and beverage, petrochemicals, and textiles—is adopting tertiary treatment to ensure compliance and support internal water reuse initiatives. Many companies are investing in zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems, where tertiary treatment is a key step in achieving complete effluent recycling. Moreover, industries are recognizing that investing in in-house tertiary systems reduces long-term operational costs by minimizing freshwater dependency and wastewater disposal fees. With rising ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments, corporations are under pressure to showcase sustainable water practices—further accelerating the deployment of high-performance tertiary systems. Municipal-private partnerships (MPPs) and build-operate-transfer (BOT) models are also emerging to fund and manage tertiary upgrades in developing regions, where infrastructure investment remains a bottleneck. These dynamics reflect a broader trend where tertiary treatment is no longer a regulatory checkbox but a strategic imperative for sustainable growth.

Are Innovations in Treatment Technologies Expanding the Potential of Tertiary Systems?

Technological innovation is revolutionizing the capabilities of tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment, making systems more efficient, modular, and adaptable across a range of settings. Advanced membrane technologies, including reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), and nanofiltration (NF), are now offering higher contaminant removal rates with reduced energy consumption, supported by innovations in membrane materials and fouling resistance. UV-C LED disinfection systems are gaining traction as a chemical-free alternative to traditional chlorination, offering lower operating costs and environmental impact. Meanwhile, real-time monitoring and IoT-enabled automation are enhancing operational efficiency, allowing plant operators to optimize performance, predict maintenance needs, and ensure regulatory compliance with minimal human intervention. Smart sensors, AI-driven process control, and digital twins are being integrated into tertiary treatment infrastructure to provide predictive analytics, improve water quality monitoring, and reduce downtime. Electrocoagulation, ion exchange systems, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are being deployed for the removal of hard-to-treat substances like endocrine-disrupting chemicals, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants. Additionally, containerized and modular tertiary treatment units are enabling decentralized water treatment, ideal for remote facilities, mining operations, and disaster-struck areas. As these technologies become more accessible and cost-effective, the barrier to tertiary treatment adoption continues to fall, expanding its role from centralized urban plants to smaller, localized systems with equal efficacy.

What Market Forces Are Driving the Rise of Tertiary Water Treatment Equipment Globally?

The growth in the tertiary water and wastewater treatment equipment market is driven by several factors closely tied to regulatory mandates, technological readiness, and evolving end-user demands. A primary driver is the increasing stringency of global wastewater discharge regulations, which are compelling municipalities and industries to adopt advanced treatment technologies to meet permissible limits for contaminants such as nitrates, phosphates, pathogens, and microplastics. Rising urbanization and population density are intensifying the volume and complexity of wastewater, pushing demand for tertiary systems that can handle high loads and deliver consistently high-quality effluent. Simultaneously, water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions is prompting large-scale investments in water recycling and reuse infrastructure, with tertiary treatment forming the cornerstone of these projects. Technological innovations—such as low-energy membranes, intelligent SCADA systems, and compact, modular designs—are enhancing the affordability and scalability of tertiary systems. The shift toward circular economy models in water management is also encouraging industries to recycle water internally, reducing dependency on freshwater sources and external effluent disposal. In developing countries, multilateral funding agencies and government programs are increasingly allocating budgets to modernize wastewater infrastructure, with a strong focus on tertiary upgrades. In the private sector, rising sustainability targets and environmental certification requirements are influencing capital allocation toward cleaner, more efficient water treatment technologies. These combined forces are creating a strong, multidimensional growth trajectory for the tertiary treatment equipment market across both developed and emerging economies.

SCOPE OF STUDY:

The report analyzes the Tertiary Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment market in terms of units by the following Segments, and Geographic Regions/Countries:

Segments:
Equipment (Tertiary Clarifier, Filter, Chlorination Systems, Others); Application (Municipal, Industrial)

Geographic Regions/Countries:
World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

Select Competitors (Total 41 Featured) -

• 3M Company
• Alfa Laval AB
• Aquatech International LLC
• Calgon Carbon Corporation
• ClearBlu Environmental
• CWT (Complete Water Treatment)
• Dow Water & Process Solutions
• DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
• Ecolab Inc.
• Ecologix Environmental Systems
• Fluence Corporation
• GE Water & Process Technologies
• HUBER SE
• Kurita Water Industries Ltd.
• Lenntech B.V.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions
• Ovivo Inc.
• Pall Corporation
• Pentair plc
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions
• Thermax Limited
• Toray Industries, Inc.

TARIFF IMPACT FACTOR

Our new release incorporates impact of tariffs on geographical markets as we predict a shift in competitiveness of companies based on HQ country, manufacturing base, exports and imports (finished goods and OEM). This intricate and multifaceted market reality will impact competitors by artificially increasing the COGS, reducing profitability, reconfiguring supply chains, amongst other micro and macro market dynamics.

We are diligently following expert opinions of leading Chief Economists (14,949), Think Tanks (62), Trade & Industry bodies (171) worldwide, as they assess impact and address new market realities for their ecosystems. Experts and economists from every major country are tracked for their opinions on tariffs and how they will impact their countries.

We expect this chaos to play out over the next 2-3 months and a new world order is established with more clarity. We are tracking these developments on a real time basis.

As we release this report, U.S. Trade Representatives are pushing their counterparts in 183 countries for an early closure to bilateral tariff negotiations. Most of the major trading partners also have initiated trade agreements with other key trading nations, outside of those in the works with the United States. We are tracking such secondary fallouts as supply chains shift.

To our valued clients, we say, we have your back. We will present a simplified market reassessment by incorporating these changes!

APRIL 2025: NEGOTIATION PHASE

Our April release addresses the impact of tariffs on the overall global market and presents market adjustments by geography. Our trajectories are based on historic data and evolving market impacting factors.

JULY 2025 FINAL TARIFF RESET

Complimentary Update: Our clients will also receive a complimentary update in July after a final reset is announced between nations. The final updated version incorporates clearly defined Tariff Impact Analyses.

Reciprocal and Bilateral Trade & Tariff Impact Analyses:

USA
CHINA
MEXICO
CANADA
EU
JAPAN
INDIA
176 OTHER COUNTRIES.

Leading Economists - Our knowledge base tracks 14,949 economists including a select group of most influential Chief Economists of nations, think tanks, trade and industry bodies, big enterprises, and domain experts who are sharing views on the fallout of this unprecedented paradigm shift in the global econometric landscape. Most of our 16,491+ reports have incorporated this two-stage release schedule based on milestones.

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