Fischer-Tropsch Jet Fuel Patents: Who Leads, Where Filing Cooled 2026
- 952 of 5,058 records sit with the top five assignees alone (18.8%) — concentrated but not locked up, since the top ten only add another 8.6 points.
- Filing peaked in 2023 at 218 and has since declined toward 17 in the most recent (partial) year, with several established filers showing 0 filings and -100% year-on-year.
- B01J and C07C dominate the claim map at 39.9% and 37.9% of records respectively, while separation processes (B01D, 7.9%) and fuel finishing (C10L, 7.1%) remain comparatively open.
Filing growth compares 2021 (159 records) with 2024 (191) — 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 5,058 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis converts syngas into a range of hydrocarbons that can be hydrocracked and finished into synthetic jet fuel. This landscape tracks 5,058 patent records published between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine core FT synthesis language with claim-level detail on catalyst selectivity, chain growth probability, reactor heat removal, wax hydrocracking, and syngas ratio conditioning. The scope is deliberately narrow at the claim level: a record has to name a specific technical mechanism, not just mention syngas or Fischer-Tropsch in passing.
Filing offices skew toward the United States (1,438 records), with WIPO/PCT and EPO filings each in the high 600s, and Australia, Canada and India each in the low hundreds — a spread consistent with a process technology licensed and defended across multiple refining jurisdictions rather than filed defensively in a single home market.
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Filing trend and technology composition
The filing curve and the IPC composition together show a field that built up steadily through the late 2010s, peaked as gas-to-liquids and sustainable-fuel interest crested, and has since cooled — even allowing for the usual publication lag on the most recent year.
A field past its filing peak
Records rose from 176 in 2017 toward a peak of 218 in 2023, roughly flat through the 2022 midpoint of 188, and have fallen sharply toward 17 in the latest (partial) year. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years will always understate real activity, but the multi-year decline from the 2023 peak is a genuine signal, not just a lag artifact.
Claim density concentrates in catalysis and refining
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) each cover more than a third of the 5,058 records, with C10G (hydrocarbon oil refining) and C01B (inorganic compounds, including syngas chemistry) close behind. Gasification (C10J) and gas purification (C10K) sit in the 9-14% range, and separation (B01D) and finished fuels (C10L) trail under 8% — the latter two are worth a closer look for anyone searching for room to file.
Shares are the percentage of the 5,058 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis for Synthetic Jet Fuel with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about fischer-tropsch synthesis for synthetic jet fuel and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited filings
Supported cobalt catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
A catalyst includes 5-75% wt cobalt supported on an oxidic support consisting of aluminium and 0.01-20% wt lithium, and a process for preparing the catalyst. The catalysts are useful for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of hydrocarbons.Filed by Johnson Matthey (2010-02-25); illustrative of the cobalt-on-alumina catalyst claims that recur across this landscape.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6172124B1 | Process for converting gas to liquids | 381 |
| 2 | US7884253B2 | Methods and apparatus for selectively producing ethanol from synthesis gas | 367 |
| 3 | WO2008028055A2 | Isolation and characterization of novel clostridial species | 349 |
| 4 | US5714662A | Process for producing light olefins from crude methanol | 328 |
| 5 | US4594172A | Process for the preparation of hydrocarbons | 310 |
| 6 | US4499209A | Process for the preparation of a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst and preparation of hydrocarbons from syngas | 304 |
| 7 | US20090069609A1 | Cobalt-molybdenum sulfide catalyst materials and methods for ethanol production from syngas | 276 |
| 8 | EP0147873A1 | Process for the preparation of middle distillates | 258 |
| 9 | US20110092726A1 | System for cultivation and processing of microorganisms, processing of products therefrom, and processing in … | 232 |
| 10 | US20070270511A1 | System and method for converting biomass to ethanol via syngas | 228 |
Citation counts favor older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations inside this corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on the field's vocabulary, not of current filing activity.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns matter more than any single ranking: how concentrated the field is, where the claim density sits, and how recent momentum has shifted between the established filers.
Leadership is real but not a wall
The leading assignee holds 338 records and the top five combined hold 952, or 18.8% of all records in scope. That leaves more than 80% of the field spread across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants, which is a different competitive picture than a field locked up by two or three players.
The biggest historical filers have gone quiet
Multiple assignees that built large historical portfolios show zero filings in the most recent year, each recorded as a -100% year-on-year change. Given the roughly 18-month publication lag, some of this is measurement, but a decline this broad across several major filers at once points to a genuine slowdown in new FT-specific claim activity.
Catalysis and refining carry the claim load
B01J, C07C, C10G and C01B each cover roughly a third or more of records, meaning most claim activity sits on catalyst formulation, hydrocarbon product chemistry, refining/upgrading and syngas-related inorganic chemistry. Separation (B01D) and finished-fuel formulation (C10L) are comparatively thin, at 7.9% and 7.1% of records.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to fischer-tropsch synthesis for synthetic jet fuel, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds ground, and where the gate stands
The ranked assignee list covers 100 companies counted by patent family; it is the whole set the data endpoint returns, not a curated top-50 or top-100.
One filer sets the pace, at declining recent volume
The top-ranked assignee's filing count is more than three times the fifth-place total of 96, but recent-year momentum data shows several of the largest historical filers, including this one, recording zero filings in the latest year.
A small number of tight collaboration pairs exist
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data, with the strongest pair sharing 26 records and a second pair sharing 15. These are the exception rather than the rule; most records in this landscape carry a single assignee.
Most of the field is not owned by the named leaders
With the top 10 combined holding 27.4% of records, the remaining 72.6% is distributed across the rest of the ranked list and unranked filers. That is where freedom-to-operate searches need the most granular work, since no single competitor dominates that space.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Ltd | 3 | -25% |
| Kellogg Brown & Root Inc | 1 | — |
| Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV | 0 | -100% |
| Chevron USA Inc | 0 | -100% |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co | 0 | -100% |
| Saudi Basic Industries Corp | 0 | — |
| Eastman Chem Co | 0 | — |
| ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps rather than a single conclusion: a cooling filing trend, a concentrated but not closed leadership group, and thinner claim coverage in a few identifiable subclasses.
Run a freedom-to-operate check on the thin subclasses
B01D separation and C10L finished-fuel claims sit well below the density of the core catalysis and refining classes, which is exactly where a narrower prior-art search can turn up open claim space.
Search this space in EurekaTrack the assignees that have gone to zero filings
Several of the largest historical filers show 0 filings and -100% year-on-year change in the latest period; watching whether that recovers, continues, or reflects a pivot to adjacent process routes is a leading indicator worth monitoring.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 338 of the 5,058 records in scope, more than three times the fifth-place count of 96. The top five assignees combined hold 952 records, or 18.8% of all records, and the top ten hold 27.4%. That leaves the majority of the field, over 70%, spread across a long tail of companies with smaller portfolios, so no single company controls the space outright.
Filing activity rose from 176 records in 2017 to a peak of 218 in 2023, then declined sharply toward 17 in the most recent, still-partial year. Because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years understate true activity, but the multi-year decline from the 2023 peak suggests filing has genuinely cooled rather than simply plateaued. Several of the largest historical filers also show zero filings in the latest recorded year.
The IPC composition shows heavy claim density in catalysis (B01J, 39.9% of records), hydrocarbon chemistry (C07C, 37.9%), refining (C10G, 34.2%) and inorganic/syngas chemistry (C01B, 34.0%). Separation processes (B01D, 7.9%) and finished-fuel formulation (C10L, 7.1%) carry far fewer records relative to those core classes, which points to comparatively open claim space around product separation, additive packages and downstream fuel finishing rather than core catalyst chemistry.
US20100048742A1, assigned to Johnson Matthey, claims a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst built from 5-75% weight cobalt supported on an oxidic aluminium support with 0.01-20% weight lithium added, along with a process for preparing that catalyst. It is a representative filing in this landscape because cobalt-on-alumina catalyst formulations with a secondary promoter recur across many of the records in the B01J and C07C classes. Anyone designing a cobalt-based FT catalyst should review its specific weight-percent ranges and the lithium promoter claim closely before finalising a formulation.
Recent-year momentum data shows a mixed picture: most of the largest historical filers, including several with the biggest overall portfolios, recorded zero filings in the latest year and a -100% year-on-year change. At least one assignee still shows modest recent activity, filing a small number of records in the latest year, albeit down year-on-year. This suggests filing activity is shifting away from the historically dominant players rather than accelerating among them.
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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.
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.