Membrane Bioreactor Market Report 2025

This Membrane Bioreactor market report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market’s historic and forecast market growth by geography.

The membrane bioreactor market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $4.24 billion in 2024 to $4.72 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increased water scarcity and growing demand for water reuse, population growth and urbanization leading to increased wastewater generation, focus on energy efficiency and reduced chemical usage in treatment plants, need for compact and space-efficient wastewater treatment solutions, government initiatives and funding for advanced water treatment technologies.

The membrane bioreactor market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $7.5 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to adoption of membrane bioreactors for industrial wastewater treatment, integration of artificial intelligence (ai) and automation in mbr systems, demand for advanced nutrient removal and resource recovery processes, expansion of mbr technology in desalination and water purification, emphasis on decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Major trends in the forecast period include integration of membrane technology with anaerobic digestion, focus on zero liquid discharge (zld) solutions, advancements in membrane materials and module design, use of hollow fiber membranes for mbr systems, hybrid systems with advanced oxidation processes (aops).

The increasing prevalence of water pollution is significantly driving the growth of the membrane bioreactor market. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances, often chemical products or microorganisms, are released into a stream, river, lake, or ocean. These incidents of water pollution stem from the lack of clean and drinkable water. With the significant rise in water pollution, membrane bioreactors present a viable solution for water treatment through microfiltration or ultrafiltration. For example, in September 2023, the World Health Organization, a Switzerland-based intergovernmental organization, reported that in 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed water services, including 1.5 billion who had basic services with improved water sources within a 30-minute round trip. Additionally, 292 million had limited services, taking over 30 minutes to collect water, 296 million depended on unprotected wells and springs, and 115 million used untreated surface water from lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Consequently, the rising water pollution is anticipated to enhance the demand for membrane bioreactors during the forecast period.

The growth of the membrane bioreactor market is expected to be propelled by increasing urbanization. Urbanization, a process driven by economic development and industrialization, leads to the transformation of rural areas into urban centers. In urban areas, membrane bioreactors find applications in advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse. According to the World Bank Group's April 2023 report, more than half of the global population currently resides in urban regions, and this urban population is projected to increase to 6 billion by 2045, marking a 1.5 times increase. Thus, the ongoing trend of urbanization is a key driver behind the growth of the membrane bioreactor market.

Technological advancement is a notable trend gaining traction in the membrane bioreactor market. Key companies in this market are actively incorporating advanced technologies into their water treatment solutions. These technologies include microfiltration, ultrafiltration, rotating biological contactors, aeration technology, mechanical filtration, and others, offering high-level removal of organic and suspended solids. For instance, in March 2022, Toray Industries, a Japan-based water treatment membrane and technical services company, introduced the TBW-HR series of ultralow-pressure reverse osmosis membrane elements. This new offering enhances the rejection of neutral molecules such as silica and boron from untreated water by controlling RO membrane micropore sizes and structures.

Major companies in the membrane bioreactor market are launching innovative wastewater treatment solutions to address water and waste management needs. The Evac Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Mid-range is an example of an advanced wastewater treatment plant designed for various vessel types. Introduced by Evac Oy in September 2022, this system filters up to 99% of microplastic particles, provides nutrient removal, and produces effluent of high quality that can be reused on vessels. The Evac MBR is designed with sustainability and operational efficiency in mind, featuring a fully automatic design, low maintenance, stainless steel tanks for corrosion resistance, improved membrane cleaning, and enhanced sensors. It occupies 50% less space than its predecessor and is suitable for navy and offshore installations, smaller passenger vessels, and superyachts.

In January 2023, Integrated Water Services, Inc., a US-based provider of water and wastewater treatment solutions, acquired M|MBR Systems. This acquisition positions Integrated Water Services to expand market opportunities for their BluBox Modular MBR Systems, combining technology, products, and field installation to better serve customers. M|MBR Systems, a US-based bioreactor manufacturer and distributor, primarily served selected wastewater treatment and water reuse markets in the USA.

Major companies operating in the membrane bioreactor market include Suez SA, Kubota Corporation, Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Toray Industries Inc., CITIC Envirotech Ltd., Koch Membrane Systems Inc., Alfa Laval AB, Veolia Environnement S.A., newterra ltd., General Electric Company, B&P Water Technologies S.r.l., MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions GmbH, HUBER SE, Aqua-Aerobic Systems Inc., Aqua Membranes Inc., BioprocessH2O LLC, DAS Environmental Expert GmbH, Dow Water & Process Solutions, Hydranautics, LG Chem Ltd., Membrane Specialists LLC, Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Pentair plc, Siemens Water Technologies Corp.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the membrane bioreactor market in 2024, and it is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the membrane bioreactor market research report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, and Africa. The countries covered in the membrane bioreactor market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a wastewater treatment process that integrates biological treatment with membrane filtration, typically microfiltration or ultrafiltration. This combination allows for advanced separation of organic matter and suspended solids. The process involves using microbes to break down pollutants, followed by filtration through submerged membranes.

The main types of membrane bioreactors include hollow fiber, flat sheet, and multi-tubular configurations. In a hollow fiber membrane bioreactor, parallel-assembled hollow fiber membranes are contained within an external shell, often shaped like a cylinder. This configuration is particularly useful for culturing highly metabolic cells, such as hepatocytes, which require efficient mass transfer. There are two system configurations in membrane bioreactors: submerged and external/side streams. These MBR systems find applications in both municipal wastewater treatment and industrial wastewater treatment processes.

The membrane bioreactor market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides membrane bioreactor market statistics, including membrane bioreactor industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a membrane bioreactor market share, detailed membrane bioreactor market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the membrane bioreactor industry. This membrane bioreactor market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The membrane bioreactor consists of sales of aerobic and anaerobic treatment tanks, an aeration system, mixers, a membrane tank, a clean-in-place system. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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