Separation equipment report

STRIAL NEWS Separation equipmentreport Intensifying environmental regulations will generate steady growth in liquid/solid separation equipment sales over the next five years, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan. Process industry spending will also pick up as the economy recovers. m US Market for Liquid/ Solid Separation Equimt (#AS568) estimates 199 1 sales at $1.05 billion and forecasts 13% growth to $1.19 billion by 1996, Two market segments will benefit most f?om regulation. Municipal water and waste treatment, already the largest category of liquid/solid separation spending, is expected to jump 16% from $311 million in 1991 to $362 million in 1996, as govemment standards for sewage plant effluents and potable water tighten, requiring more investment in treatment equipment. The much smaller segment of electric utilities should show even faster demand growth of 17% from $53 million to $62 million over the five years, due to utilities’ need to retrofit coal-burning plants with scrubbers and related liquid effluent treatment devices to meet new clean-air standards. Four other industry segments-chemicals, general manufacturing, pulp and paper, and food and beverages are expected to have moderate sales increases of 12-14% between 1991 and 1996. Trailing the pack with only 8% growth will be the group which includes mineral processing and oil and gas exploration and production. In terms of products, the category made up of settling,

10th annual membrane conference

The initial programme for the 10th Annual Membrane Conference Ott 13-16th, 1992 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Massachusetts includes over 60 speakers covering all aapects of membrane technology, applications, and commercial prospect for microfiltration, ultraiiltration, reverse osmosis gas membranes and systems for their applications. 278

In Europe: Customer Service, Frost & Sullivan, Sullivan House, 4 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1 W ODH, UK. Tet +44 071 730 3438

U.S. DOMESTIC DEMAND FOR LIQUID/SOLID SEPARATION EQUIPMENT BY END-USE, 1991

MunicipalWater 8 Waste Treatment$311M

Du Pont goes ahead in Spain

Chemicals8 AlliedInd.$161M

General Manufacturing $132M

Pulp6 Paper $12OM

Foods6 Beverages$113M MineralPmcassing!Oil 8 Gas EhP SlOOM

ElectricUtilities$53M

AllOIher $6OM

Total lggl Marked $1.05 Billion

flotation and gravity filtration equipment is forecast to enjoy 17% growth from $270 million in 1991 to $316 million in 1996, due to this categods sensitivity to regulation-driven applications. Within the group, flotation systems will rise fastest, though from the smallest base; the increase is helped by the wastewater treatment market, which will more than counterbalance the contraction of demand in mineral beneficiation, traditionally the most important flotation market. Filters used for liquid/solid separation comprise the largest of the three product categories, accounting for slightly more than half of the total market. Sales are expected to be up 12% from $582 million in 1991 to $662 The conference, jointly sponsored by Business Communications Company, and Filtrex will follow the same format as previous events. This is the only conference which combines research, technology and commercialisation aspects of this industry, it is claimed. Business Communications Company Inc, 25 Van Zant Street, Norwalk, CT 06855, USA. fax: + 1 203 853 0348

million in 1996. Pressure filters will show the strongest performance as the market for filter presses continues to expand. Cartridge and bag filters will also show aboveaverage growth. The centrifuge and cyclone category is forecast to grow 13% from $172 million in 1991 to $195 million in 1996. Sales of decanter and disc centrifuges for municipal and industrial waste treatment will lead the way, as sedimenting centrifuges continue to erode the market share of plateand-frame filter presses and belt presses. In the process markets too, the versatility of decanter and disc models will help them outstrip the growth of more special&d tubular and imperforate basket machines. Liquid/solid separation equipment for the US market is made by over 500 companies, which fight strenuously for larger slices of a relatively static pie. Both large and small manufacturers supply technical and regulatory expertise along with their products and should continue to use these advisory capabilities as a means of expanding equipment sales. Customer Service, frost & Sullivan, 706 h/ton New York, NY 10038, USA. Tef +44 212-233-1080.

A major new Du Pont industrial site is well underway in the Asturias province of Spain. The first plant to be built on an 850acre plot of ground will be dedicated to the manufacture of Nomex meta-aramid fibre, which is one of the company’s most successful product lines. Among the factors which influenced Du Pont in selecting Asturias as a suitable industrial location, were its size and the flexibility it offers for multi-product developments, its location in southem Europe, with a strategic location for markets in northern Europe, the fact that Spain is a politically, socially and economically stable nation, and that the region has a sufficiently developed pool of qualified labour. Additionally, Asturias has a well-established industrial tradition and related work ethic, Spain has a high rate of industrial growth, and the site offers the requisite access to raw materials and services. Du Pont is fully committed to developing this industrial complex which will require an investment of about one billion dollars, and will lead to the direct employment of 1000 people within the next 10 years. The presence of Du Pont in the region is also expected indirectly to generate between 3000 and 6000 additional jobs. The Nomex project represents a 200-million dollar investment, with the creation of 200 jobs. Construction is on schedule and the company expects to have the plant fully operational around April 1993. However, the Nomex factory is not due to work at its full capacity until some time in 1996.

St.

July/August

Du Pont de Nemours International SA, PO Box 50, CH-1218 Le Grand-SaconnexlGE, Switzerland. Fax: +47 22 717 60 27 1992

Filtration

& Separatlon