Activated Carbon from Biomass Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
- Filing has plateaued, not grown. Filings peaked at 491 in 2020 and have since drifted down toward 77 in the partial-year 2026 count — this is a mature filing base, not an emerging one.
- Claims cluster in four IPC subclasses. B01J (catalysis/chemical processes) and C01B (inorganic compounds) each cover roughly half the corpus, with B01D separation and C02F water treatment close behind — adjacent uses like capacitors (H01G, 500) and batteries (H01M, 212) are far thinner.
- China dominates the filing map. China's receiving office accounts for 2,972 of the tracked filings, more than double the United States at 1,416, signalling where activation-process claim density is highest.
Filing growth compares 2021 (473 records) with 2024 (457) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 8,362 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the dataset covers
This landscape tracks patent families addressing activated carbon derived from biomass, filtered to documents whose claims or abstracts reference specific surface area, activation process conditions, micropore volume, adsorption capacity or KOH activation. The IPC scope spans C01B32 (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds), B01J20 (adsorbents and catalytic materials) and C02F1 (water treatment), which keeps the corpus centred on activation chemistry and adsorbent performance rather than on downstream end-use devices.
The 8,362 families span filings from 2017 through a partial 2026, with publication lag meaning the most recent one to two years are undercounted relative to true filing activity. Reading the trend line requires discounting the last two data points accordingly.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 8,362-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those filings distribute across the technology classes that touch activated carbon from biomass.
A plateaued filing curve
Filings rose from 376 in 2017 to a peak of 491 in 2020, held near that level through the 2022 midpoint (427), and have declined since — consistent with a technology area where core activation chemistry claims are largely staked out and filers are now defending or narrowing rather than expanding.
Concentration in catalysis and inorganic chemistry
B01J (5,333 records) and C01B (4,154 records) together anchor the corpus, covering activation processes and the resulting carbon materials themselves. B01D separation (2,566) and C02F water treatment (2,537) represent the dominant application pull-through, while capacitor (H01G, 500), fibre (D01F, 268), battery (H01M, 212) and sterilisation (A61L, 204) uses remain comparatively small footprints.
Shares are the percentage of the 8,362 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Activated Carbon from Biomass with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about activated carbon from biomass and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe patents this field cites most
Rapid fluidized-bed activation for high surface area biomass carbon
A method for preparing high specific surface area activated carbon through rapid activation: biomass raw material of 0.3-0.9 mm particle size is immersed in a chemical reagent for 3-6 hours, dried at 100-150°C, then processed in a fluidized or spouted bed reactor heated to 700-800°C with fluidized gas and quartz sand, producing activated carbon in a fraction of the time required by conventional rotary-kiln activation.Filed by Tianjin University of Science & Technology, published 2018-12-20 as US20180362350A1.
View full filing| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US3647716A | Transport reactor with a venturi tube connection to a combustion chamber for producing activated carbon | 474 |
| 2 | US5750026A | Device for removal of contaminants from fluid streams | 410 |
| 3 | US4500327A | Process for removal of mercury vapor and adsorbent therefor | 385 |
| 4 | US5714126A | Respirator filter system | 304 |
| 5 | US5726118A | Activated carbon for separation of fluids by adsorption and method for its preparation | 258 |
| 6 | US4624937A | Process for removing surface oxides from activated carbon catalyst | 232 |
| 7 | US5332426A | Agglomerated activated carbon air filter | 230 |
| 8 | US5416056A | Production of highly microporous activated carbon products | 223 |
| 9 | US6309446B1 | Activated carbon for adsorptive storage of gaseous compound | 204 |
| 10 | US5242879A | Active carbon materials, process for the preparation thereof and the use thereof | 202 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations within the searched corpus — treat this as a map of foundational influence, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern tells a strategist
Beyond the raw counts, three structural features of this dataset matter for anyone deciding where to file next or which incumbent to watch.
China is the primary battleground
China's receiving-office count is more than double the United States and nearly triple Japan (1,083), meaning process and formulation claims filed only outside China leave the largest single market's claim space to local filers.
Catalysis and adsorbent processing dominate
The B01J subclass alone touches nearly two-thirds of the corpus, reflecting how much of this field's patenting is about the activation process itself — reagent choice, temperature profile, reactor design — rather than the carbon as a finished product.
Established filers have gone quiet
Multiple assignees with substantial filing histories show zero output in the most recent tracked year, some with a full year-over-year drop. Given publication lag this partly reflects reporting delay, but it is also consistent with a field where core positions are already filed and maintained rather than expanded.
Collaboration is narrow and specific
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest pairing is a Japanese chemical company working with a national research institute — collaboration here looks like targeted joint R&D rather than a broad ecosystem of alliances.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to activated carbon from biomass, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground, and where it is open
Filing activity concentrates among a small group of Japanese and multinational specialty-chemical firms, with a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants behind them. Recent momentum has cooled across several of the historically largest filers.
Legacy leaders are maintaining, not expanding
Assignees such as Kuraray, Corning, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Kureha show no filings in the most recent tracked year, several with a full year-over-year drop to zero — a pattern more consistent with portfolio maintenance than active claim-space expansion.
Joint filings are concentrated, not diffuse
The strongest co-assignee relationship pairs a specialty chemical firm with a national research institute, suggesting collaboration in this field tends to run through formal joint-development programmes rather than loose industry consortia.
Water treatment is the largest downstream driver
Water and wastewater treatment applications account for a substantial share of filings tied to activated carbon from biomass, second only to the core catalysis and inorganic-chemistry classes, and ahead of battery or capacitor uses.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Corning Incorporated | 0 | — |
| Kuraray Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | 0 | — |
| Nimura Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Kureha Corporation | 0 | — |
| Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Unitika Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| The Procter & Gamble Company | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The trend and assignee data point to specific follow-up questions rather than a single conclusion. These are the natural next lines of inquiry.
Check freedom to operate in adjacent IPC classes
H01G, H01M and A61L carry far fewer filings than the core B01J/C01B cluster — verify whether that reflects genuine white space or simply different keyword conventions in those subclasses.
Explore adjacent claim spaceTrack whether quiet incumbents are re-filing under new subsidiaries
Several large historical filers show zero recent output; confirming whether that activity has shifted to affiliates or joint ventures changes how you read the competitive map.
Trace assignee lineageModel China's activation-process claims before entering that market
With more than double the filing volume of the next-largest jurisdiction, China-originated activation-process patents are the most likely source of blocking claims for new entrants.
Review China filingsCommon questions on activated carbon from biomass patents
This dataset tracks 8,362 patent families published between 2017 and mid-2026, filtered to filings whose claims or abstracts address specific surface area, activation conditions, micropore volume, adsorption capacity or KOH activation. That figure covers global filings across major receiving offices including China, the United States, Japan, Europe and India. Because publication lags actual filing by roughly 18 months, the true count for the most recent one to two years is understated in any trend chart built from this data.
Filing activity concentrates among a handful of Japanese and multinational specialty-chemical companies with long filing histories, alongside a large number of entities with only one or a few filings each — a classic concentrated-top, long-tail distribution. Several of the historically largest filers, including Kuraray and Kureha, show no filings in the most recent tracked year, which suggests portfolio consolidation rather than continued expansion. Checking a specific assignee's full filing history rather than just recent activity gives a more reliable read on who currently holds ground.
No — filings peaked at 491 in 2020, held near that level through 2022, and have declined since, with the partial 2026 count at only 77. This pattern is more consistent with a maturing field where core activation-process claims are already staked out than with an emerging technology still attracting new entrants. New filers should expect denser prior art in the core activation-chemistry claims than the raw year-over-year numbers might suggest.
Capacitor applications (H01G, 500 records), battery and fuel-cell uses (H01M, 212 records) and sterilisation-grade adsorbents (A61L, 204 records) carry far fewer filings than the core catalysis and inorganic-chemistry classes that dominate the corpus. That gap does not guarantee freedom to operate — it may simply reflect different search terminology in those adjacent fields — but it is a reasonable starting point for identifying under-claimed sub-areas worth a closer prior-art search.
China's receiving office accounts for 2,972 of the tracked filings, more than double the United States (1,416) and nearly triple Japan (1,083), making it the jurisdiction with the densest activation-process claim coverage. A filing strategy that skips China risks leaving the largest single market's claim space entirely to local filers. Europe (757) and the WIPO PCT route (425) are meaningfully smaller but still relevant for companies with multi-region commercial plans.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.