GAC Water Treatment Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Filing growth compares 2021 (186 records) with 2024 (153) — 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 4,353 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape covers 4,353 patent records filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine granular activated carbon terminology with the C02F water-treatment classification. It captures the full range of GAC applications inside drinking-water and wastewater treatment, from standalone filtration cartridges to carbon-augmented membrane bioreactors, without folding in unrelated activated-carbon uses like air filtration or industrial solvent recovery.
Filing activity peaked in 2020 and has since moderated, ownership is spread across a long tail of filers rather than concentrated among a few majors, and the heaviest technology overlap sits with separation and catalysis processes rather than with carbon chemistry alone.
Filing trends and technology composition
Filing activity and IPC composition across the 4,353 records in scope show where granular activated carbon patent activity concentrates and how it overlaps with adjacent water-treatment technologies.
Filings rose to a 2020 peak, then eased
Annual filings climbed from 163 in 2017 to a peak of 248 in 2020. The 2021-to-2024 span shows a -18% change (186 to 153), and 2024 is the most recent year that can be treated as complete — later years are still filling in as publication catches up with filing.
Separation and catalysis dominate outside the core class
Beyond the near-universal C02F water-treatment class (99.4% of records), B01D separation processes appear on 27.0% of records and B01J catalysis/physical processes on 16.2%, showing most GAC activity sits at the intersection of carbon adsorption with a separation or catalytic step rather than in carbon chemistry alone.
Shares are the percentage of the 4,353 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Drinking-Water Treatment: Granular Activated Carbon Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about drinking-water treatment: granular activated carbon patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey patents shaping the field
Suspended media granular activated carbon membrane biological reactor system and process (US7972512B2)
A system and process for treating an industrial wastewater stream using a membrane biological reactor in which granular activated carbon is introduced into an aeration portion and kept upstream of a membrane operating system. Carbon granule size is selected so the granules can be screened or otherwise separated from the mixed liquor before it reaches the submerged membranes, preventing abrasion. A waste discharge port allows spent granular activated carbon to be removed from the system.Granted to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, 2011-07-05 — illustrates the membrane-protection claim style common among the field's ranked leaders.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6416668B1 | Water treatment process for membranes | 324 |
| 2 | US7033498B2 | Cartridges useful in cleaning dialysis solutions | 286 |
| 3 | US3327859A | Portable unit for potable water | 254 |
| 4 | US5269919A | Self-contained water treatment system | 224 |
| 5 | US6524477B1 | Gravity-flow filtration cartridge for the removal of microorganisms and/or other contaminants | 207 |
| 6 | US5236595A | Method and apparatus for filtration with plural ultraviolet treatment stages | 204 |
| 7 | US5122165A | Removal of volatile compounds and surfactants from liquid | 203 |
| 8 | US5547584A | Transportable, self-contained water purification system and method | 183 |
| 9 | US5562824A | Gravity water purifier | 181 |
| 10 | US4861484A | Catalytic process for degradation of organic materials in aqueous and organic fluids to produce environmental… | 178 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and favour older records; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the filing data signals for strategy
These patterns come directly from the 4,353 records in scope and point to where claim density is high, where it is thin, and who is positioned where.
Ownership is fragmented, not gatekept
With the leading assignee at 88 records and the top 10 combined at only 9.8% of the field, no single company can block the space alone. Freedom-to-operate work has to check a long tail of filers rather than a handful of majors.
Activity has moderated from its 2020 peak
Filings peaked at 248 in 2020 and eased to 153 by 2024. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, later years will fill in further — this is a moderation from a peak, not a confirmed downward trend.
Filtration and catalysis carry the claim density
Beyond the near-universal C02F water-treatment class, B01D separation processes and B01J catalysis are the two heaviest overlaps, meaning most contested claim territory sits at the GAC-plus-separation or GAC-plus-catalysis boundary.
China leads filing volume, US and Japan follow
China's 1,133 records lead receiving-office counts, ahead of the United States (696) and Japan (548), with EPO, PCT and Australia rounding out the major venues. Filing strategy should weight these jurisdictions differently depending on target markets.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to drinking-water treatment: granular activated carbon patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | Siemens Industry Inc | 26 |
| Ebara Research Co Ltd | Toray Engineering Co Ltd | 15 |
| Suez International | NEWPORT GMBH | 10 |
| HaskoningDHV Nederland BV | Wageningen University | 9 |
| Hitachi Ltd | Hitachi Automotive Engineering Co Ltd | 8 |
| Ebara Research Co Ltd | SASAD KERTESZETI MEZOGAZDASAGI TERMELOSZOVETKEZET | 5 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | Siemens Energy Inc (US) | 4 |
| Suez International | French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) | 3 |
The strongest documented co-assignee pair shares 26 records, with two further pairs at 15 and 10 — signalling a small number of joint development relationships rather than widespread industry-wide collaboration.
Where to go from this landscape
The dataset points to specific follow-up questions depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, competitive tracking, or identifying open claim space.
Check freedom-to-operate against the ranked leaders
With ownership spread across a long tail and the top 10 filers holding only 9.8% of the 4,353 records in scope, a proper clearance check needs to look well beyond the largest few assignees.
Run a clearance search in EurekaTrack the separation and catalysis overlap
B01D and B01J classes carry the heaviest claim density outside the core water-treatment class. Any new GAC-plus-membrane or GAC-plus-catalyst design should be checked against this overlap specifically.
Explore IPC overlap in EurekaWatch the thinner branches for emerging filings
Disinfection (A61L), biocide (A01N) and land-reclamation (B09C) overlaps remain comparatively under-claimed. Monitoring new filings in these branches can surface competitive moves early.
Set up monitoring in EurekaFrequently asked questions
The assignee ranking covers 100 companies and is led by a single filer with 88 records, with the fifth-ranked company at 36 and the tenth at 23. Ownership is not concentrated: the top 5 filers together account for only 6.6% of the 4,353 records in scope, and the top 10 for 9.8%. That means most of the field sits with a long tail of filers rather than a small dominant group, so competitive risk depends on the specific claim configuration rather than a handful of gatekeeper companies.
Filings rose from 163 in 2017 to a peak of 248 in 2020, then eased to 153 by 2024 — an -18% change over the 2021-to-2024 span. 2024 is the last year with reasonably complete data because publication typically lags filing by about 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures will keep rising as records catch up. Treat the post-2020 numbers as a moderation from a peak rather than a definitive decline.
Separation processes (B01D, covering filtration) appear on 27.0% of the 4,353 records in scope, and catalysis/physical processes (B01J) on 16.2%, making these the two heaviest overlaps outside the core water-treatment class. Smaller overlaps include non-metallic inorganic compounds (C01B, 4.2%), soil and land reclamation (B09C, 2.0%), and disinfection-related classes (A61L, 1.0%), which mark thinner, less-claimed branches. A record can carry multiple classes, so these figures describe overlap patterns, not a single dominant category.
China leads receiving-office volume with 1,133 records, followed by the United States at 696, Japan at 548, the European Patent Office at 327, WIPO/PCT filings at 268, and Australia at 209. This spread suggests filers are pursuing protection across the major water-treatment markets rather than concentrating on a single jurisdiction, though China's volume likely reflects both domestic filing practice and market size.
US7972512B2, granted to Saudi Arabian Oil Company on 2011-07-05, claims a membrane bioreactor process where granular activated carbon is introduced into the aeration stage and sized so it can be screened out before reaching the submerged membranes, with a discharge port for removing spent carbon. It is a specific mechanical configuration aimed at preventing membrane abrasion, not a general claim over combining GAC with membrane bioreactors. Designs that place carbon downstream of the membrane, avoid aerated screening, or use different particle-separation logic sit outside its literal claim scope, though a freedom-to-operate check against the full claim set is still advisable.
Research Drinking-Water Treatment: Granular Activated Carbon Patent Landscape in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole drinking-water treatment: granular activated carbon patent landscape corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.