CFRP Recycling & LCA Patent Snapshot 2026
The CFRP recycling and life-cycle assessment patent space is a small, highly concentrated field with 24 patent families in scope, where the top five filers account for 68% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. Activity peaked in 2019 and annual volume has since eased, leaving a field that remains technically active but is not yet expanding broadly.
Georgia Tech Research Corporation leads a tightly held field
Georgia Tech Research Corporation holds the top position with 7 patent records, followed closely by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Boeing (China) Investment, each with 6 patent records. The field is compact: only 15 distinct applicants appear in the ranking.
The top five filers together account for 68% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating a highly concentrated visible assignee structure with a meaningful gap between the leading cluster and the remaining applicants. AI Carbon Co. Ltd and the Beijing Aeronautic Science and Technology Research Institute of COMAC each hold 4 patent records, forming a recognizable second tier.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 7 | |
| 2 | KOREA INST OF SCI & TECH | 6 | |
| 3 | Boeing (China) Investment Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 4 | AI Carbon Co. Ltd | 4 | |
| 5 | BEIJING AERONAUTIC SCI & TECH RES INST OF COMAC | 4 | |
| 6 | Zhifu Environmental Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 7 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 2 | |
| 8 | EAST CHINA UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Shanxian Domi Graphene Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 10 | HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT (AU… | 1 | |
| 11 | Shanghai Zhichen Smart Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 12 | Hyundai Motor Company | 1 | |
| 13 | Workstudio Corporation | 1 | |
| 14 | South-Central Minzu University | 1 | |
| 15 | Datong Xincheng New Material Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The concentration around Georgia Tech, KIST, and Boeing (China) suggests that a small number of well-resourced research-industrial partnerships currently define the state of the art, and new entrants face an established prior-art base in polymer processing and fiber recovery routes.
Filing data for the most recent 18–24 months is subject to publication lag and likely under-represents actual activity; the apparent low count for 2024–2025 should not be read as a definitive further drop. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 peak in filings, with polymer-processing dominating the technology mix
The filing trend chart reveals a sharp 2019 spike followed by subdued annual volumes, while the technology composition chart shows that polymer-processing and additive-related classes account for the majority of coverage.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings peaked at 9 records in 2019, dropped sharply to 3 in 2020 and zero in 2021, then settled into low single-digit levels through 2024–2025. The most recent years are subject to publication lag and likely under-count true activity; the 2026 figure reflects an incomplete year.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C08J (Polymer processing and solutions) is the visible IPC branch with 23 patent records, followed by C08K (Use of additives in polymers) at 15 and B29B (Plastics preparation) at 11. Waste-disposal-specific branches such as B09B (Solid waste disposal) hold only 2 records each, indicating that most filings frame recycling within a polymer-chemistry rather than a waste-management lens.
↗ 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 and apparatus for recovering fiber assembly…
Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for recovering a fiber assembly by decomposing a thermosetting resin composite material, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) in such a manner the fiber assembly used for the thermosetting composite material, such as CFRP, retains its original organizational shape after decomposition, and a fiber assembly… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种废弃碳纤维复合材料中树脂和碳纤维的热分解分离方法 | 26 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus for recovering fiber assembly… | 18 |
| 3 | 太阳光二次反射回收碳纤维装置及其回收方法 | 11 |
| 4 | 一种回收利用碳纤维热塑性复合材料的方法 | 10 |
| 5 | Methods of recycling and reshaping thermosetting p… | 9 |
| 6 | Method and apparatus for recovering fiber assembly… | 8 |
| 7 | Method and apparatus for recovering fiber assembly… | 7 |
| 8 | Methods for manufacturing carbon fiber and for man… | 5 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
The top-ranked applicant with 7 patent records, Georgia Tech Research Corporation focuses on use of additives in polymers (C08K 7), addition polymers (C08F 4), and condensation polymers (C08G 63), indicating a materials-chemistry approach to CFRP recycling. Momentum data marks the institution as a new entrant in the most recent filing window, with 2 recent records, suggesting a deliberate but early-stage patent-building program.
patent records: 7Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Holding 6 patent records, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology concentrates on polymer processing and solutions (C08J 11) and plastics preparation (B29B 17), reflecting a process-engineering approach to fiber recovery. No recent-window momentum entry appears in the evidence, indicating an established but currently stable filing pace.
patent records: 6Frequently asked questions
The evidence identifies 24 patent families in scope for CFRP recycling and life-cycle assessment, distributed across 15 distinct applicants and 8 jurisdictions.
Georgia Tech Research Corporation leads with 7 patent records, followed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Boeing (China) Investment, each with 6 patent records.
The field is assessed as Decline, with annual filings having eased back from a peak of 9 records in 2019. Activity in 2022–2025 has remained in the low single digits, though publication lag means the most recent years are likely under-counted.
China and the United States are tied at 10 patent records each, followed by Europe (EPO) at 7. South Korea and Austria each account for 2 records, with India, Japan, and WIPO (PCT) at 1 each.
C08J (Polymer processing and solutions) is the leading branch at 23 patent records, followed by C08K (Use of additives in polymers) at 15 and B29B (Plastics preparation) at 11. Waste-specific branches such as B09B hold only 2 records, indicating most filings take a polymer-chemistry framing.
The most active co-filing pair is Boeing (China) Investment and the Beijing Aeronautic Science and Technology Research Institute of COMAC with 4 joint records, reflecting a structured aerospace-industry partnership. Boeing (China) also co-filed 2 records with East China University of Science and Technology, and Kia Corporation co-filed 1 record with Hyundai Motor Company.
Ready to map your own CFRP recycling Patent Snapshot?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
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.