Green Water Treatment Chemicals: Development Trend and Application Progress

With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the tightening of environmental regulations, the development and application of green water treatment chemicals have become the focus of the water treatment industry. Green water treatment chemicals refer to chemicals that are low-toxic, biodegradable, and have no or little impact on the environment, which can achieve the dual goals of water purification and environmental protection. This article introduces the development trend and application progress of green water treatment chemicals.

The development of green water treatment chemicals mainly focuses on three directions: phosphorus-free and low-phosphorus products, biodegradable polymers, and natural product-based chemicals. Phosphorus-containing water treatment chemicals, such as traditional phosphonate scale inhibitors, may cause water eutrophication after discharge. Therefore, phosphorus-free scale inhibitors, such as polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA), polymaleic acid (PMA), and polyaspartic acid (PASP), have been widely researched and applied. These products are biodegradable, have good scale inhibition effect, and do not cause environmental pollution. Biodegradable polymers, such as chitosan, starch-based flocculants, and microbial flocculants, are prepared from natural materials, which have the advantages of environmental friendliness, renewable resources, and low toxicity.

Natural product-based green chemicals, such as plant extracts (tannins, lignin derivatives) and amino acid chelants, are another important development direction. They have good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and can effectively replace traditional chemical agents in some fields. The global green water treatment chemicals market was valued at USD 1.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% to reach USD 4.03 billion by 2034. In addition, the combination of green chemicals with intelligent dosing systems and digital monitoring technologies has become a new trend, which can improve the utilization rate of chemicals, reduce dosage, and further reduce environmental impact. However, green water treatment chemicals still face some challenges, such as high production cost and unstable performance, which need to be solved through technological innovation and industrial upgrading.