Catalysis Sustainability Patent Landscape 2026
The catalysis sustainability patent field spans 120 patent families and is moderately concentrated, with Grunenthal GmbH holding the largest single position. Activity peaked in 2019 and has eased on an annual basis, though 2025 shows a notable uptick that may partly reflect publication lag.
Grunenthal GmbH leads a fragmented but top-heavy competitive field
Grunenthal GmbH holds the top position in the applicant ranking, followed by Jubilant Life Sciences, IFP Energies Nouvelles, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research — each clustered closely in the second tier.
The top five filers account for 28% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderate concentration gap between the leader and the broader field. Beyond the top five, patent records are spread across a wide range of commercial firms, research councils, and universities.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grunenthal GmbH | 25 | |
| 2 | Jubilant Life Sciences Limited | 12 | |
| 3 | IFP Energies Nouvelles | 11 | |
| 4 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 11 | |
| 5 | Avantium Knowledge Centre BV | 9 | |
| 6 | New Green World BV | 8 | |
| 7 | Dow Global Technologies LLC | 7 | |
| 8 | Phosphonics Ltd | 7 | |
| 9 | The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | 7 | |
| 10 | Eastman Chemical Company | 7 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Omya International AG | 6 | |
| 12 | Yadav Ganapati Dadasaheb | 6 | |
| 13 | Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology | 4 | |
| 14 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 4 | |
| 15 | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | 4 | |
| 16 | Jiangnan University | 4 | |
| 17 | Techcycling LLC | 4 | |
| 18 | National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia) | 4 | |
| 19 | Shaanxi Normal University | 4 | |
| 20 | PetroChina Co Ltd | 3 |
Grunenthal’s lead position, anchored in acyclic and carbocyclic compound chemistry, reflects a pharmaceutical-adjacent strategy. The presence of energy and chemical-process specialists — IFP Energies Nouvelles, Avantium, Dow Global Technologies — signals that the field bridges fine-chemical and process-catalysis applications.
The most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag, so apparent filing levels for 2024–2025 should be treated as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 filing peak, a broad organic-chemistry core, and sparse adjacent branches
The annual filing trend reveals a sharp peak in 2019 followed by lower but irregular annual volumes, while the technology composition shows that three IPC classes dominate and a long tail of adjacent branches each account for only a handful of records.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings peaked at 22 records in 2019, then settled into a range of 5–14 through 2024, with a provisional 26 records logged for 2025. The 2025 figure should be read cautiously given publication lag; the underlying trend since 2019 reflects an easing from the peak year.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) and B01J (chemical and physical processes and catalysis) together dominate the corpus, with C07D (heterocyclic compounds) forming a secondary cluster. All remaining IPC classes — including C07B, C07F, C08G, A61K, and C11C — each represent a small share, pointing to a concentrated technological core with numerous thin adjacent branches.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Method for the production of butanol using a titan…
The present invention relates to a method for the production of butanol using a titanium-based bimetallic heterogeneous catalyst comprising a support of titanium dioxide doped with cobalt cations and transition metal nanoparticles impregnated in the support. The method described produces butanol as a single product, it is environmentally responsible and… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Substituted organopolysiloxanes and use thereof | 68 |
| 2 | Method for dehydrating substituted 4-dimethylamino… | 65 |
| 3 | Synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from carbon dioxid… | 39 |
| 4 | Process for the dehydration of substituted 4-dimet… | 36 |
| 5 | Chemical method catalysed by ferromagnetic nanopar… | 21 |
| 6 | Hydrogenation process for the conversion of a carb… | 21 |
| 7 | Substituted organopolysiloxanes and use thereof | 19 |
| 8 | 一种锌离子改性Sn-Beta沸石的制备方法和应用 | 14 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
Three structural features shape where new entrants and incumbents should direct effort: the field’s lifecycle stage, the degree of applicant concentration, the collaboration network, and the geographic footprint.
Post-peak field with easing annual volume
The lifecycle evidence places this field in a decline stage, with annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak. On a multi-year basis the corpus still has breadth, but the directional signal is that the most intense filing race has passed. New entrants should expect established incumbents to hold defensible positions in the dominant C07C and B01J subclasses, while adjacent branches remain less contested.
Lifecycle: DeclineModerate leader gap with a competitive second tier
The top five filers hold 28% of the combined records among the hundred largest filers — meaningful but not dominant. Grunenthal GmbH’s position is roughly twice that of the next-ranked applicants, creating a clear first-tier gap. The second tier — Jubilant Life Sciences, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Avantium — is tightly bunched, making rank movement plausible with focused filing activity.
Moderate concentrationSingle documented co-filing pair: Dow Global Technologies and University of Illinois
The collaboration evidence shows one active co-applicant relationship: Dow Global Technologies LLC and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, with 7 jointly filed patent records. This industry-academic link focuses on acyclic and carbocyclic compound chemistry and catalysis process subclasses. No other multi-party co-filing relationships are recorded in the evidence, suggesting the ecosystem is largely fragmented into solo filers.
Limited co-filingChina and India co-lead filings; strong PCT and EPO presence
China and India each account for 50 patent records at the jurisdiction level, with the United States at 33, WIPO PCT at 24, and Europe (EPO) at 23. The dual Asian lead reflects the strong presence of Indian research councils and Chinese academic and state-owned applicants. The PCT and EPO counts confirm that leading filers are pursuing international protection, signalling commercial intent beyond domestic markets.
Asia-led, global reachGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | 7 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Grunenthal GmbH dominates acyclic chemistry; Dow Global Technologies is the most active recent entrant
The leader and primary challenger differ sharply in technology emphasis: one is anchored in pharmaceutical-adjacent organic synthesis, the other in catalytic process chemistry with an academic partner.
Grunenthal GmbH
Grunenthal GmbH holds 25 patent records, the largest position in the ranking. Its technology emphasis is tightly focused on C07C subclasses covering acyclic and carbocyclic compound synthesis — specifically subgroups C07C 213 and C07C 217, which together account for the bulk of its portfolio. No momentum trend is listed for Grunenthal in the recent-period data, indicating its position is built on earlier filing activity rather than a current acceleration.
25 patent recordsDow Global Technologies LLC
Dow Global Technologies LLC holds 7 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing period, indicating its entire recorded position has been built recently. Its technology focus spans C07C 41 and C07C 43 (ether synthesis within acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) and B01J 21 (catalysis process chemistry). The co-filing relationship with the University of Illinois adds an academic dimension to its catalysis process work, reinforcing a process-innovation rather than compound-patent strategy.
7 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| New Green World BV | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant catalysis core
Several IPC classes appear in the corpus at low record counts relative to the dominant C07C and B01J branches; two are highlighted below as observations of relative sparsity with plausible technical relevance to sustainability catalysis.
C07F · Organo-metallic & non-carbon compounds
C07F accounts for 14 patent records — roughly 3% of the branch distribution — despite organometallic catalysts being central to sustainable synthesis routes including cross-coupling and CO2 fixation. The sparse filing density here, relative to the dominant C07C and B01J classes, suggests that organometallic catalyst design has not attracted proportionate patent activity in this corpus. For teams already active in B01J catalysis process work, extending filing coverage into C07F ligand and complex design could represent a defensible adjacency with limited incumbent density.
Search this in Eureka →C08G · Condensation polymers
C08G carries 14 patent records at a 3% share of the branch distribution. Condensation polymer catalysis — including polyester, polycarbonate, and bio-based polymer synthesis — is directly relevant to circular-economy and bio-refinery sustainability goals. Phosphonics Ltd’s position in C08G 77 and New Green World BV’s single record in C08G 64 are the only identified presences, leaving the subclass lightly contested. Entry through catalyst design for bio-derived monomer polymerization would align with the C11C and C12P branches also present at low counts in this corpus.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route across IPC subclasses
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01J 23 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 31 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 35 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 21 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 27 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omya International AG | Absent | Moderate · 1 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Strong · 4 |
| Avantium Knowledge Centre BV | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Techcycling LLC | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 120 patent families in scope. The applicant ranking is based on patent records, which can exceed the family count because a family may be counted once per jurisdiction or IPC class.
Grunenthal GmbH leads with 25 patent records, followed by Jubilant Life Sciences at 12 and IFP Energies Nouvelles and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research each at 11.
The field is classified as in a decline stage based on annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak of 22 records. The most recent two years are subject to publication lag and should be read provisionally.
China and India each account for 50 patent records, followed by the United States at 33, WIPO PCT at 24, and Europe (EPO) at 23. These counts are at the patent-record level and reflect protection-seeking behavior rather than the number of underlying inventions.
One documented co-filing relationship exists in the evidence: Dow Global Technologies LLC and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois jointly filed 7 patent records. No other multi-party co-filing relationships are recorded.
C07F (organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds) and C08G (condensation polymers) each account for 14 patent records — roughly 3% of the branch distribution — compared with 117 records in the dominant C07C class. C11C (fatty acids) and C12P (fermentation and enzymatic synthesis) are even sparser, each at fewer than 10 records.
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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.
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