The Meltblown Nonwoven market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% to reach USD 7.9 billion by 2026 from 4.9 billion in 2019. Meltblown nonwovens are formed using fibres that are smaller in diameter as compared to the other nonwoven textiles. These are randomly laid nonwoven fabrics made of synthetic thermoplastic polymers.
The market of Meltblown nonwovens market received a tremendous boost on account of the current Covid-19 pandemic as these are used to make high-quality face masks. Melt-blown extrusion process is majorly preferred to make medical and surgical masks. Polypropylene is the most common material for such facemasks. The market is also growing due to government initiatives and government procurement. For instance, the US government has awarded two contracts to procure 22.2 million masks from US-based companies. Mid of 2020 the several countries across the world faced shortages of facemasks which were largely on account of the scarcity of certain grades of meltblown nonwovens. This also prompted certain countries such as India to impose short-term export restrictions which were lifted later.
Apart from medical applications, meltblown nonwovens can also be used in various application areas such as filtration, agricultural, automotive, construction, personal hygiene, roofing, carpeting, and upholstery. Many companies in the value chain are expanding meltblown fabric capacities in order to cater to the growing demand.
Melt blowing nonwoven production involves blowing of high-velocity air through the thermoplastic polymers to give shape to the melt filaments. There are two most common methods or technologies used to make meltblown nonwoven products. These include the insertion of mono and bi-component melt blowing equipment a process popularly used for medical and hygiene applications. The second process incorporates the usage of monolithic or standalone mono and bi-component meltblown equipment. This process is popularly used for a variety of filtration, insulation, and sorbents applications. In this process, first Meltblown is created independently; thereafter it is then either utilized alone or combined with additional media for the purpose of creating different filtration products.
The production parameters also have significant effects on the physical properties, efficiency, and performance characteristics of the final products. Meltblown microfibers generally tend to have diameters in the range of 2 to 4 μm. In some cases, these microfibers can have even diameters as small as 0.1 μm and as large as 10 to 15 μm. Differences in technical properties of these meltblown nonwoven fabrics such as degree of softness, opacity, and porosity can generally be attributed to the differences in filament size.
The research report analyses the ecosystem and value chain of Meltblown nonwoven market. The report also categorizes the Meltblown nonwoven Market to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following below-mentioned market segments.
The unique insights provided by this report also includes the following:
The report also provides an in-depth impact analysis of market trends of the Meltblown nonwoven market:
| Sr. No. | Trends | Impact |
| 1 | Rising expenditure of female population on the feminine hygiene products | Positive |
| 2 | The meltblown nonwoven industry players are increasingly expanding their manufacturing facilities to increase the production capacity | Positive |
| 3 | Accelerating demand for the disposable nonwovens primarily driven by the growing upper and middle class in Central Asia | Positive |
| 4 | Technological advancement and rising awareness among the consumers about the advantages of meltblown nonwovens | Positive |
In terms of market by application type, the filtration media is estimated to be the largest segment of the Meltblown nonwoven market during the forecast period
Based on the application the Meltblown nonwoven market is segmented as Filtration Media, Insulation Media, Sorbent Media, and others. A large percentage of meltlbown produced across the world is consumed internally for the production of water and air filtration media and kits. Demand for clean and pure air and water across the world has led to an increase in demand for nonwovens-based filters thus benefitting the Meltblown nonwoven market. The companies present in the value chain are posed with the challenges such as developing products that are capable of separating finer particulates for the air and water filtration products. The combination of these two factors has made filtration one of the fastest-growing markets for Meltblown nonwoven.
The Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest region in the forecast period
Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the Meltblown nonwoven market followed by the other regions. The North America Meltblown nonwoven market is also projected to witness a higher product demand in the coming years on account of increasing consumption in end-user industries. North America also has the presence of major players in the market that are making significant investments in the market space to stay competitive, further proliferating the market growth. For instance, in April 2020, PFNonwovens Group started new meltblown production lines in the U.S. and the Czech Republic that is equipped with state-of-the-art specialized and proprietary fabric enhancement unit. The manufacturing unit is producing premium garment-like fabrics for the hygiene market of North American.
The demand in the Asia Pacific region is primarily driven on account of demand from end-user industries. The Asia Pacific region is growing on account of rising urbanization, industrialization, and the presence of a large number of water treatment plants and hospitals. The rise in demand for feminine hygiene products driven by the growth in the female working population has worked in favor of the Meltblown nonwoven market in the Asia Pacific region.
Polypropylene is expected to be the largest market in terms of material type in the forecast period
On the basis of material type, polypropylene is anticipated to hold the largest market share in 2026 as it is widely used across various end-use industries. This is one of the most versatile polymers with applications in air filtration, personal hygiene, and medical applications.
Based on product type fine fibre meltblown is expected to be the largest market in terms of material type in the forecast period
Based on the product type the meltblown nonwovens market is segmented as fine fiber meltblown nonwovens and dual texture meltblown nonwovens. The fine fiber meltblown nonwovens segment held the largest market share in 2019. The demand for fine fiber meltblown nonwovens witnessed a significant rise as a response to the pandemic with its increasing application in mask & PPE kit and medical apparel manufacturing. Moreover, the end-users of the fine fiber meltblown nonwovens are expanding their production capabilities to meet the rising demand which is further proliferating the market growth.
The report also provides an in-depth analysis of market dynamics such as drivers, restraints opportunities, and challenges
Drivers:
Restraints:
Opportunities:
Challenges:
The report also provides an analysis of recent news and developments in the Meltblown nonwoven market value chain
| Sr. No. | Date | News Category | Description |
| 1 | Feb-21 | Expansion | Oerlikon Nonwoven successfully commissioned a double beam meltblown plant with ecuTEC+ electro charging unit at Wolf PVG GmbH & Co. KG. According to the company, the plant with its two beams and the ecuTEC+ electro charging unit, is optimally designed for the production of face mask material. |
| 2 | Jun-20 | Expansion | Kuraray Co., Ltd. modified its meltblown nonwoven fabric production facility at the Okayama Factory to produce the face mask filters. The modification of facility will enable the company to produce enough fabric to make 300 million face masks per year. The modification was a move to meet the surging demand of nonwoven fabric for mask filters. |
| 3 | Jun-20 | Expansion | Mogul, a Turkey-based leading manufacturer of meltblown nonwovens added two meltblown lines both of 160 cm wide and with the capability of making fabrics in 15-100 gsm range. The lines are capable of making N95 masks along with high efficiency filtration applications among other industrial applications. |
| 4 | May-20 | Expansion | Don & Low is adding a new meltblown production line in Scotland, with the help of funding received by the Scottish government. The total cost of supply and installation of the new line is £4.5 million of which £3.6 million is supplied by the government. The new facility will produce meltblown nonwoven filter fabric for FFP3 masks that are the highest designation of a respirator. |
| 5 | May-20 | Expansion | Mondi to the group has devised a plan to produce meltblown nonwoven fabric and one million surgical face masks a day after establishing new production lines in Germany |
The key players operating in the Meltblown nonwoven markets are:
Priyanka has been writing chemicals & material market research reports for the last 12 years. A post-graduate, her specialization is in the chemicals sector. Preparing end-to-end reports covering minute details for market insights, competitive intelligence and trend analysis in the CMFE sector.
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