Catalytic CO2 Capture & Conversion Patent Landscape
The catalytic CO2 capture and conversion field is in an active growth phase, with annual filings rising sharply since 2020 and the corpus spanning 1,153 patent families. The competitive structure is moderately concentrated, with General Electric Tech GmbH leading and energy majors, national labs, and universities filling the top tier.
GE Tech leads a moderately concentrated field with strong energy-sector participation
General Electric Tech GmbH holds the top position with 65 patent families, followed closely by Carbon Engineering ULC (42), ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co (40), Equinor Low Carbon UK Ltd (39), and Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (29). The top five filers account for 19% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate rather than extreme concentration.
The tier gap between the leader (65 families) and the fifth-ranked player (29 families) is meaningful but not prohibitive; challengers from both industry and academia occupy the mid-tier in meaningful numbers, suggesting the field has not yet locked into a winner-take-all structure.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Electric Tech GmbH | 65 | |
| 2 | Carbon Engineering ULC | 42 | |
| 3 | EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING CO | 40 | |
| 4 | Equinor Low Carbon UK Ltd | 39 | |
| 5 | Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 29 | |
| 6 | Global Thermostat Operations LLC | 27 | |
| 7 | MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH INC | 25 | |
| 8 | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) | 23 | |
| 9 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 23 | |
| 10 | Regents of the University of California | 21 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona | 21 | |
| 12 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 20 | |
| 13 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 19 | |
| 14 | Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV | 16 | |
| 15 | Entropy Inc | 16 | |
| 16 | Haldor Topsoe A/S | 15 | |
| 17 | Infinium Technology LLC | 15 | |
| 18 | General Electric Company | 14 | |
| 19 | UT-Battelle LLC | 14 | |
| 20 | The University of British Columbia | 14 |
The presence of national laboratories (Lawrence Livermore), oil majors (ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabian Oil Co, Equinor), and specialist start-ups (Carbon Engineering, Global Thermostat) alongside universities signals a multi-stakeholder ecosystem where both fundamental and applied filings co-exist.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are systematically under-counted due to patent publication lag, so current-period totals should be treated as floor estimates. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings accelerated sharply from 2020 onward; separation technology dominates the IPC mix
Two charts together describe how activity has scaled and where it is technically anchored: the annual trend shows a clear inflection in 2020–2022, while the IPC composition reveals that gas-separation processes (B01D) form the backbone of the corpus.
Annual filing trend
Annual families were broadly stable in the 56–69 range from 2017 to 2020, then accelerated sharply through 2022 (205 families) and continued rising to 223 in 2023 and 231 in 2024. The 2025 figure of 171 and the 2026 figure of 24 are artifacts of publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown. The 236% recent growth figure confirms the multi-year upward trajectory is real.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (separation processes, including gas absorption and membrane filtration) is by far the dominant IPC branch at the patent-record level, reflecting the centrality of sorbent and membrane-based capture. B01J (catalysis and chemical/physical processes) and C01B (inorganic compounds) form a secondary cluster, pointing to catalytic conversion and CO2 mineralisation work. Smaller but notable branches include C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds, relevant to CO2-to-fuels chemistry), C25B (electrolytic production), and F23J (flue-gas treatment), indicating that downstream conversion and point-source integration are growing sub-themes.
↗ 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.
Carbon dioxide capture articles and methods of mak…
An adsorbent article for CO<sub>2 </sub>capture and methods of making the same. The adsorbent article for CO<sub>2 </sub>capture includes a ceramic substrate, a plurality of inorganic support particles, and an organic CO<sub>2 </sub>sorbent on the support particles. The ceramic substrate includes a plurality of porous partitions walls that define a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carbon Dioxide Capture and Mitigation of Carbon Di… | 268 |
| 2 | Amine enriched solid sorbents for carbon dioxide c… | 255 |
| 3 | Solid sorbents for removal of carbon dioxide from … | 222 |
| 4 | Carbon dioxide capture process with regenerable so… | 206 |
| 5 | Carbon Dioxide Recovery | 181 |
| 6 | Carbon dioxide capture and mitigation of carbon di… | 180 |
| 7 | Removal of carbon dioxide from air | 138 |
| 8 | Amine absorber for carbon dioxide capture and proc… | 135 |
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 competitive structure implies for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity stage, concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic reach — shape where new entrants and established players should direct resources.
Growth stage: rising annual filings confirm an expanding frontier
The lifecycle evidence places this field firmly in the Growth stage, with annual filings still rising and the most recent period understated by publication lag. The 236% growth across the recent window confirms this is not a mature, saturating field. New entrants can still stake positions in emerging sub-routes without facing an entrenched prior-art wall across all technical branches.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a competitive mid-tier
The top five filers hold 19% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output — a level that indicates leadership without lock-in. The gap between first (65 families) and fifth (29 families) is real but traversable. A focused programme in an under-served sub-branch could establish a meaningful position within two to three filing cycles.
Moderate HHICorporate-academic and intra-corporate co-filing are the dominant partnership models
The most active co-filing pairs are General Electric Tech GmbH with GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC (7 joint families), and Spain’s Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) with Cranfield University (7 joint families). ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co co-files with the University of California Board of Regents (6 families) and with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (1 family). Saudi Arabian Oil Co partners with Saudi Aramco Services Company (4 families) and with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (2 families). These pairings show that technology-transfer bridges between national labs, universities, and energy majors are the norm rather than the exception.
Co-filing activeUS-centric filing with broad PCT and European validation
The United States is the primary filing office, followed by WIPO PCT routes and the European Patent Office. Canada ranks fifth — reflecting the headquarters of Carbon Engineering and Equinor Low Carbon UK’s North American operations — and India sixth, signalling emerging-market protection strategies. China, South Korea, and Japan are present but relatively small, suggesting Western players have not yet prioritised Asian enforcement coverage at scale.
US-led, PCT-validatedGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric Tech GmbH | GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC | 7 |
| Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) | Cranfield University | 7 |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co | Regents of the University of California | 6 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | Saudi Aramco Services Company | 4 |
| General Electric Tech GmbH | GE Infrastructure Technology LLC | 2 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | 2 |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 1 |
| Carbon Engineering ULC | Carbon Engineering Ltd | 1 |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
GE Tech and Equinor Low Carbon lead on volume; Carbon Engineering leads on directed DAC focus
The top two players by family count both entered the recent measurement window as new entrants, suggesting aggressive portfolio-building rather than legacy accumulation. Technology emphasis differs notably between them.
General Electric Tech GmbH
The corpus leader with 65 patent families, General Electric Tech GmbH concentrates heavily on B01D 53 separation processes (44 families), with secondary positions in C01B 32 inorganic compounds (8 families) and B01J 20 catalysis (4 families). Its applicant momentum is classified as a new entrant in the recent window, with 30 recent families, indicating rapid and deliberate portfolio assembly rather than a long-standing position. Intra-corporate co-filings with GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC (7 joint families) and GE Infrastructure Technology LLC (2 joint families) suggest coordinated IP strategy across the GE family.
families: 65Carbon Engineering ULC
Carbon Engineering ULC holds 42 patent families and ranks second overall. Its technology focus is concentrated on B01D 53 separation processes (31 families) and B01J 19 chemical/physical processes (9 families), consistent with its direct air capture (DAC) core business. Momentum is classified as a new entrant in the recent window, with 21 recent families, reflecting the company’s transition from R&D stage to commercial-scale IP protection. A co-filing relationship with Carbon Engineering Ltd (1 joint family) indicates some predecessor-entity portfolio continuity.
families: 42| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric Tech GmbH | 30 | ▲ new entrant |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Equinor Low Carbon UK Ltd | 27 | ▲ new entrant |
| Carbon Engineering ULC | 21 | ▲ new entrant |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant separation core
Several IPC classes appear at the margins of the corpus relative to the dominant B01D cluster. Two in particular combine relative sparsity with plausible technical value and a realistic entry path from the separation-process mainstream.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
C25B accounts for 91 patent records — roughly 3% of the IPC mix — despite electrochemical CO2 reduction being a technically distinct and commercially promising conversion route (e.g., CO2-to-ethylene, CO2-to-formate). The branch is sparse relative to B01D’s dominance, and few of the top-ranked applicants show primary focus here. Electrolyser specialists and battery-adjacent players with membrane and electrode expertise could enter this branch by leveraging transferable know-how from H01M (fuel cells), which itself carries only 20 records in the corpus.
Search this in Eureka →C07C · Acyclic & carbocyclic compounds (CO2-to-fuels chemistry)
C07C holds 93 patent records — also 3% of the IPC mix — covering the organic chemistry of CO2-derived products such as methanol, formic acid, and synthetic hydrocarbons. This branch sits at the interface between capture and utilisation and is underrepresented given the policy push toward e-fuels and Power-to-X. Catalysis specialists and petrochemical players already working in C10G (hydrocarbon refining, 35 records) or C10L (fuels, 33 records) have an adjacent starting point and could extend into C07C with relatively modest portfolio investment.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01D 53 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | B01J 20 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C01B 3 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | B01J 23 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alstom Technology Ltd | Strong · 35 | Absent | Strong · 22 | Absent | Absent |
| General Electric Tech GmbH | Strong · 44 | Absent | Emerging · 8 | Absent | Absent |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | Strong · 28 | Strong · 16 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co | Strong · 31 | Moderate · 9 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 3 |
| Membrane Technology & Research Inc | Strong · 25 | Absent | Moderate · 9 | Absent | Absent |
| Carbon Engineering ULC | Strong · 31 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covered by this analysis spans 1,153 patent families. The United States is the primary filing office, with WIPO PCT and European Patent Office routes providing broad international coverage.
General Electric Tech GmbH leads with 65 patent families, ahead of Carbon Engineering ULC (42), ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co (40), Equinor Low Carbon UK Ltd (39), and Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (29).
Evidence places the field in a Growth stage. Annual families rose sharply from 69 in 2020 to 205 in 2022 and 231 in 2024, representing 236% growth over the recent window. The apparent dip in 2025–2026 data reflects patent publication lag, not a real slowdown.
B01D (separation processes, including gas absorption and membranes) is by far the largest branch at the patent-record level, followed by B01J (catalysis and chemical processes) and C01B (inorganic compounds). Secondary branches include C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds relevant to CO2-to-fuels), C25B (electrolytic production), and F23J (flue-gas treatment).
The most active co-filing pairs are General Electric Tech GmbH with GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC (7 joint families), CSIC with Cranfield University (7 joint families), and ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co with the University of California Board of Regents (6 joint families). Saudi Arabian Oil Co also co-files with Saudi Aramco Services Company (4 joint families).
Two branches stand out as relatively sparse given their technical relevance: C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, covering electrochemical CO2 reduction) and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds, covering CO2-to-fuels organic chemistry), each accounting for approximately 3% of IPC records in the corpus despite strong commercial interest in both routes.
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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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