Flue Gas Algae Cultivation Patents: Leaders & White Space 2026
Filing growth compares 2021 (6 records) with 2024 (3) — 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 93 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What flue gas algae cultivation patenting actually covers
Flue gas algae cultivation sits at the intersection of carbon capture and biomass production: patents in this set describe feeding combustion exhaust directly into algae growth systems, whether as a CO2 source, a nutrient stream, or both. The claim space splits along two lines — the hardware that moves and conditions the gas (bioreactors, separation trains, fibre and membrane components) and the biology that consumes it (microorganism strains, cultivation methods, downstream fermentation). Records filed against this search string span 2015 through the current data cut-off, with publication lagging filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent year understates real filing activity.
The 93 records in scope are held across 58 ranked assignees, with the top five accounting for 38.7% of all records and the top ten for 64.5% — a field with a defined leadership tier but plenty of room below it. Receiving-office data shows US, WIPO/PCT and Australian filings leading, which points to where enforcement and freedom-to-operate questions are most likely to surface first.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 93 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A short filing history with a real 2021-2024 decline
Filings rose from a single record in 2017 to a peak of 8 in 2023, then activity ran through 2021's 6 filings down to 3 in 2024 — a -50% move over that three-year span. Because 2024 is the last year publication lag has fully caught up with, this is treated as a genuine cooling rather than a data artefact; 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in and should not be read as confirming or reversing the trend yet.
Bioreactor hardware leads; biology and separation follow closely
C12M (bioreactors & enzyme apparatus) appears in 39.8% of the 93 records, just ahead of C12N (microorganisms & genetic engineering) at 35.5% and B01D (separation processes) at 33.3%. A01G (horticulture & forestry, covering open-pond and outdoor cultivation methods) sits at 25.8%. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add to more than 100% and should each be read against the 93-record total, not against each other.
Shares are the percentage of the 93 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Algal Biofuels: Flue Gas Algae Cultivation Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about algal biofuels: flue gas algae cultivation patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records and a representative filing
US10842096B1 — Flue gas reclamation system and method (Honda Motor Co., Ltd., 2020-11-24)
The patent describes a combustion-engine-based flue gas reclamation system: an intake member receives flue gas from a gas source, a generator connects to the engine's output shaft, and a compressor stores enriched flue gas from the exhaust outlet in a holding tank. A battery connected to the generator supplies electric power to the reclamation system.Note the claim is built around the gas-handling and power-recovery hardware, not around any specific algae strain or cultivation step — that scoping matters for anyone assessing freedom to operate.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2007098150A2 | Photobioreactor and uses therefor | 82 |
| 2 | US20100028976A1 | Photobioreactor and uses therefor | 71 |
| 3 | US20110307976A1 | Construction material made of algae, method for cultivating algae, and algae cultivation plant | 46 |
| 4 | WO2019161114A1 | Fluidized bed extractors for capture of co 2 from ambient air | 36 |
| 5 | US20080311646A1 | Carbon Supply Device for Cultivating Miro Algae in Large and Its Application Method and Use | 29 |
| 6 | US20120003722A1 | Carbon dioxide removal systems | 28 |
| 7 | US20140318000A1 | Combining algae cultivation and co2 capture | 16 |
| 8 | WO2010107974A1 | Carbon dioxide removal systems | 14 |
| 9 | EP2556881A1 | Combining algae cultivation and CO2 capture | 13 |
| 10 | US20090081744A1 | Method of processing slops | 12 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate references within the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on subsequent filings, not of present-day importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Four findings a practitioner can act on directly, drawn only from the records in scope.
Leadership is real but not total
The top five assignees hold 38.7% of all 93 records, and the top ten hold 64.5%. That leaves more than a third of the field spread across a long tail of the remaining ranked companies, many with only one or two filings.
Apparatus claims edge out biology claims
Bioreactor and apparatus claims (C12M) appear in slightly more records than microorganism and genetic engineering claims (C12N), and separation processes (B01D) are close behind at 33.3%. Dense apparatus filing means claim space around gas-handling hardware is occupied, not that a workable design is guaranteed.
A cooling filing pace, confirmed through 2024
Filings peaked at 8 in 2023. The cleaner three-year read is 2021's 6 filings falling to 3 by 2024, a -50% move. Because 2024 is the last year unaffected by publication lag, this decline can be stated with confidence; years after it are still filling in.
US and PCT routes dominate first filing
The United States receives the most filings (25), followed by WIPO/PCT applications (21), with Australia and Europe tied further back at 8 each. India (7) and Canada (6) round out the picture, suggesting enforcement risk concentrates in the US and in PCT-designated jurisdictions.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to algal biofuels: flue gas algae cultivation patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is filing, licensing, or freedom-to-operate clearance.
Map claim scope against the leaders
With 64.5% of records held by the top ten assignees, a claim chart against those portfolios narrows quickly to the apparatus and separation classes where density is highest.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaTrack the co-assignee clusters
Several inventor pairs recur across filings — a sign of active collaboration or spin-out activity worth monitoring for licensing or acquisition signals.
Explore assignee networks in EurekaWatch the white space in fermentation and fibre classes
C12P and D01F each sit at or below 7.5% of records, well behind the core apparatus and biology classes — a candidate area for differentiated filing.
Search adjacent IPC classes in EurekaCommon questions on flue gas algae cultivation patents
This dataset covers 93 published records in scope, filed between 2015 and the 2026-07-31 cut-off. They are held across 58 ranked assignees, with a genuine leadership tier and a long tail of single-filing entrants. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one to two years understate true filing activity and will fill in over time.
The ranked leaders are concentrated at the top, with the top five assignees holding 38.7% of all 93 records and the top ten holding 64.5%. Below that tier the field spreads across a long tail of companies with only one or two filings each. Anyone assessing competitive position should treat the top ten as the group to watch closely and the rest as worth monitoring rather than prioritising.
Filings peaked at 8 in 2023, but the clearer three-year signal is a decline from 6 filings in 2021 to 3 in 2024, a -50% move. Because 2024 is the last year unaffected by publication lag, this cooling can be stated with reasonable confidence. Filings recorded for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete and should not yet be read as either a rebound or a continued fall.
The claim space splits mainly between bioreactor and apparatus hardware (C12M, in 39.8% of the 93 records), microorganism and genetic engineering methods (C12N, 35.5%), and gas separation processes (B01D, 33.3%). Horticulture-style outdoor cultivation (A01G) appears in 25.8% of records. Smaller shares fall in fermentation (C12P), fibre features (D01F) and layered materials (B32B), which together suggest where less-claimed ground exists.
US10842096B1, assigned to Honda Motor Co., Ltd., claims a combustion-engine-based flue gas reclamation system built around gas intake, compression, storage and power recovery hardware rather than any specific algae strain or cultivation step. That scoping means it constrains engine-integrated flue gas handling designs more than it constrains cultivation biology or open-pond methods. A freedom-to-operate review should check the specific hardware architecture against this claim rather than assuming it covers algae cultivation broadly.
The lower-density IPC classes in this dataset — fermentation and enzymatic synthesis (C12P), chemical filament and fibre features (D01F), and layered products (B32B), each at or below 7.5% of the 93 records — sit well behind the core apparatus and biology classes. That gap suggests downstream processing and material outputs from algae cultivated on flue gas remain comparatively under-claimed relative to the cultivation hardware itself.
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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.