Surfactants reduce the surface tension of a liquid, so that actually mutually miscible liquids can be mixed. The most important sales market for surfactants is followed with a share of around 37% of global consumption, North America and Western Europe Asia-Pacific. The distribution of the demand on the regions of the world will change significantly growth markets in Asia-Pacific and South America over the next eight years. Ceresana’s market researchers predict that in the future the countries in Asia-Pacific can – win more market share of the global market of surfactant mainly at the expense of Western Europe and North America. South America, a surge will also reach through massive increases in production and consumption in Brazil, mainly. Trend of non-ionic surfactants In 2010 worldwide about 6.5 million tonnes were in demand anionic surfactants.
These two groups represent approximately 85% of global surfactant demand together with the non-ionic surfactants. We expect the strongest growth in the period 2010-2018 non-ionic surfactants”, explains Oliver Kutsch, Managing Director of Ceresana. Despite this global trend and to non-ionic surfactants the most important product group stay anionic surfactants primarily in Africa, the Middle East and the countries of Asia, with the exception of Japan and South Korea. Surfactants in detergents and cleaning products to the most important buyers worldwide include the manufacturers of detergents and cleaners for the household. Which surfactant demand will grow expected p.a. until the year 2018 to 2.6%. This trend carried but mainly by the emerging and developing countries, which recorded a rising per capita consumption due to a growing prosperity. Also the trend intensified away from SOAP and to synthetic detergents. “Oliver Kutsch added: this development especially in Asia-Pacific to preclude the stagnant or declining partly history in countries in North America and Western Europe.” In the world’s most comprehensive market report the use of surfactants in each analyzed Ceresana as himself Markets will develop.