Electrochemical Separation Patent Landscape 2026
Evoqua Water Technologies dominates this field with commanding concentration among the top filers, anchored in water and wastewater treatment and membrane separation. Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 and has since eased, signaling a maturing competitive landscape where consolidation and adjacent-branch exploration are the primary strategic levers.
Evoqua leads a highly concentrated field with a wide tier gap
Evoqua Water Technologies LLC holds the top position in the applicant ranking with 150 patent records, more than three times the combined count of the next-ranked entity. The top five filers collectively account for 82% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating an unusually concentrated competitive structure.
The tier gap between the leader and the remaining applicants is substantial. The second-ranked entity, Evoqua Water Tech Pte Ltd (a related Evoqua entity), holds 42 patent records, while Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and Siemens Water Technologies Corp each hold 8. Applicants outside the top four drop to single-digit counts.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evoqua Water Technologies LLC | 150 | |
| 2 | Evoqua Water Tech Pte Ltd | 42 | |
| 3 | Atomic Energy of Canada Limited | 8 | |
| 4 | Siemens Water Technologies Corp | 8 | |
| 5 | General Electric Co | 3 | |
| 6 | Future Environmental Tech | 3 | |
| 7 | CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORP | 3 | |
| 8 | Palo Alto Research Center Inc | 3 | |
| 9 | SRM University | 2 | |
| 10 | Evoqua Water Tech Pte Ltd | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Guangdong Lizi Technology Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 12 | TIANJIN UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 2 | |
| 13 | Heshan Jiade Environmental Protection Technology Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 14 | Hunt Energy Enterprises LLC | 2 | |
| 15 | Suzhou Shijing Technology Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 16 | Wenzhou University | 2 | |
| 17 | DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD | 2 | |
| 18 | U Watech Inc | 1 | |
| 19 | GE Healthcare Ltd | 1 | |
| 20 | James Patrick Ismail | 1 |
Evoqua’s dual-entity presence — the LLC and its Singapore subsidiary — reinforces its global filing strategy and suggests deliberate geographic coverage across the. United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Challengers from academia and smaller industrials occupy a fragmented second tier with limited overlap in technology routes.
Records from approximately the last 18–24 months remain subject to publication lag and should be interpreted cautiously; apparent softness in 2024–2025 data does not necessarily reflect a real decline in inventive activity.
A 2021 peak, post-peak easing, and a water-treatment-dominated technology mix
The filing trend chart and the technology composition chart together reveal a field that expanded sharply through 2021 and is now consolidating, with water and wastewater treatment processes accounting for the largest share of IPC-coded activity.
Annual filing trend
Annual records rose from 2 in 2017 to a peak of 33 in 2021, then stepped down through 2022 (9 records) and 2023 (3 records). Figures for 2024 and 2025 reflect early publication data only and should not be read as a confirmed continuation of the decline; the field’s lifecycle is assessed as post-peak rather than concluded.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) and B01D (Separation processes including filtration and membrane techniques) together dominate the IPC mix. C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds) is a meaningful secondary branch, particularly for Siemens-affiliated entities. Branches such as H01M (Batteries and fuel cells), B01J (Chemical and physical processes), and H01F (Magnets and inductors) each carry a small share, marking them as adjacent areas with limited dedicated coverage to date.
↗ 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.
Electrochemical separation systems and methods
Systems and methods for treating water may involve a first electrochemical separation module that includes at least one ion exchange membrane having a first set of performance characteristics, and a second electrochemical separation module that includes at least one ion exchange membrane having a second set of performance characteristics that is different… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low-energy electrochemical separation of isotopes | 36 |
| 2 | Systems and techniques for electrodialysis | 29 |
| 3 | Electrochemical separation modules | 23 |
| 4 | Cross-Flow Electrochemical Separation Devices and … | 22 |
| 5 | Flow Distributors for Electrochemical Separation | 21 |
| 6 | Systems and techniques for electrodialysis | 16 |
| 7 | Low-energy electrochemical separation of isotopes | 15 |
| 8 | 电吸附除盐水处理方法 | 15 |
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 landscape structure means for R&D prioritization
The combination of high concentration, post-peak volume, and identifiable adjacent branches shapes a specific set of strategic choices for engineers and IP teams evaluating entry or expansion in electrochemical separation.
Post-peak field with consolidating activity
The lifecycle assessment places electrochemical separation in Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2021 peak. This does not indicate the technology is obsolete, but rather that the primary water-treatment application space is maturing and dominant players have built substantial portfolios. New entrants should anticipate strong prior-art density in core C02F and B01D routes and focus differentiation on adjacent or process-specific claims.
Post-peak · 2021 peakEvoqua’s dominance narrows the open space in core routes
The top five filers hold 82% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, with Evoqua alone holding 150 patent records versus 42 for the next entity. This level of concentration means that core electrodialysis and membrane-filtration routes are heavily covered. Challengers and new entrants face a high bar in the mainstream application space and may find more tractable entry points in lower-density IPC branches or in geographic markets with lighter existing coverage.
82% top-5 shareSiemens entities are the most active co-filers; Evoqua has some cross-entity activity
The most active co-filing pair is Siemens Pte Ltd and Siemens Private Limited, which have co-filed on 18 occasions, indicating coordinated filing across Siemens’ Asia-Pacific entities. Evoqua Water Technologies LLC and Siemens Private Limited have 2 co-filings, reflecting a historical relationship between the two organizations. No broad multi-party consortium activity is evident in the collaboration data, suggesting the ecosystem is driven by internal corporate structures rather than open R&D partnerships.
18 Siemens co-filingsUS-led coverage with meaningful European and Asian filings
The United States leads in patent records, followed by EPO (Europe), China, Canada, Japan, Australia, and South Korea. Singapore and WIPO (PCT) filings reflect Evoqua’s and Siemens’ multi-jurisdictional strategies. China’s presence at 28 records signals that Chinese applicants — including Guangdong Lizi Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, and Wenzhou University — are active, though at smaller scale. India (4 records) and several national offices represent thinner coverage that could be strategically relevant for regional deployment.
US lead · 18 jurisdictionsGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Siemens Pte Ltd | Siemens Private Limited | 18 |
| Evoqua Water Technologies LLC | Siemens Private Limited | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Evoqua dominates water-treatment routes; Siemens-affiliated entities lead electrolytic production
Two organizational clusters account for the bulk of activity: the Evoqua group (LLC plus Singapore subsidiary) and the Siemens cluster (Siemens Pte Ltd and Siemens Private Limited). Their technology emphases are distinct despite both operating in the broader water-treatment domain.
Evoqua Water Technologies LLC
Evoqua holds 150 patent records and concentrates heavily on C02F1 (water and wastewater treatment) with 126 records and B01D61 (membrane separation processes) with 108 records — a coherent portfolio centered on electrodialysis and flow-based separation modules. Its Singapore subsidiary (Evoqua Water Tech Pte Ltd, 42 records) extends the same core technology base across Asia-Pacific jurisdictions. The recent filing trend shows a steep decline of 84% versus the prior period, consistent with the field-wide post-2021 slowdown and a maturing portfolio rather than an exit from the space.
patent records: 150Palo Alto Research Center Inc
Palo Alto Research Center holds 3 patent records, concentrated in B01D61 (separation processes) and C02F1 (water treatment), and is classified as a new entrant in the momentum data — meaning its recent filings represent a fresh position rather than a continuation of prior volume. Its research-center background suggests a differentiated, process-innovation angle rather than volume-driven portfolio building, which could be relevant for novel electrochemical separation architectures not yet addressed by the dominant players.
patent records: 3| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Evoqua Water Technologies LLC | 7 | ▼ -84% |
| Palo Alto Research Center Inc | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the dominant water-treatment core
Four IPC branches appear in the technology composition with low record counts and share, placing them at the periphery of current filing activity. Two of these carry plausible technical value given the direction of the broader electrochemical field.
B01J · Chemical and physical processes and catalysis
With 19 patent records and a 4% share, B01J is the largest of the under-served adjacent branches. Electrochemical separation intersects with catalytic and reactive-separation processes — for example, in electrochemically assisted adsorption or reactive membranes — that could offer performance advantages over purely physical separation. The low filing density relative to B01D and C02F suggests this intersection has not been systematically claimed. Entry would require bridging electrochemical engineering with heterogeneous catalysis expertise, and the existing thin prior-art base reduces freedom-to-operate friction for a focused effort.
Search this in Eureka →H01M · Batteries, cells and fuel cells
H01M carries 8 patent records and a 2% share, indicating limited but non-zero activity at the intersection of electrochemical separation and energy-storage cell technology — for example, in flow-battery electrolyte purification or fuel-cell water management. As flow-battery and hydrogen-economy applications scale, the need for in-line electrochemical purification of electrolyte streams is a technically coherent expansion of this field. The sparse prior-art base in this branch is an observation of current filing behavior; whether it constitutes a genuine opportunity depends on applicant-specific capabilities in energy-storage chemistry.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route across IPC branches
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C02F 1 · Water & wastewater treatment | B01D 61 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | C25B 9 · Electrolytic production of compounds | B01D 63 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | C25B 15 · Electrolytic production of compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evoqua Water Technologies LLC | Strong · 126 | Strong · 108 | Emerging · 9 | Moderate · 34 | Absent |
| Siemens Pte Ltd | Strong · 27 | Strong · 29 | Strong · 32 | Moderate · 8 | Emerging · 6 |
| Siemens Private Limited | Strong · 20 | Strong · 15 | Strong · 27 | Moderate · 6 | Moderate · 11 |
| Atomic Energy of Canada Limited | Absent | Absent | Strong · 8 | Absent | Strong · 8 |
| Siemens Water Technologies Corp | Strong · 5 | Strong · 5 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Palo Alto Research Center Inc | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 111 patent families. These represent the corpus on which the landscape is based, while applicant rankings and IPC branch counts are derived from patent records, which can exceed the family total because a single family may be filed across multiple jurisdictions or assigned multiple technology codes.
Evoqua Water Technologies LLC is the leading applicant with 150 patent records, well ahead of the next-ranked entity. A related entity, Evoqua Water Tech Pte Ltd, holds an additional 42 patent records, making the Evoqua group by far the most active filer in this space.
The field is assessed as post-peak. Annual filings reached a high of 33 records in 2021 and have eased since then. This indicates a maturing competitive environment rather than a collapsing one, and the most recent 18–24 months of data should be interpreted with caution due to publication lag.
C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) and B01D (Separation processes including filtration and membranes) are the dominant branches. C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds) is a significant secondary branch, particularly among Siemens-affiliated applicants. All other branches account for a small share of the overall record set.
The United States leads in patent records, followed by EPO filings covering Europe, China, Canada, Japan, Australia, and South Korea. Singapore and WIPO (PCT) filings also appear, reflecting the global filing strategies of Evoqua and Siemens. A total of 18 jurisdictions are represented in the data.
The most active co-filing relationship is between Siemens Pte Ltd and Siemens Private Limited, with 18 co-filings, reflecting coordinated filing across Siemens’ Asia-Pacific entities. Evoqua Water Technologies LLC and Siemens Private Limited share 2 co-filings, reflecting a historical organizational relationship. No broad multi-party R&D consortia are evident in the data.
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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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