FO Membrane Recycling & Draw-Solute Recovery Patent Snapshot
Forward osmosis draw-solute recovery is a small, highly concentrated field where the top five filers account for 81% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records, led by Nanyang Technological University and a handful of water-technology specialists. Filing activity peaked in 2017 and has since eased sharply, signalling that the core separation and recovery routes are maturing while adjacent functional areas remain largely uncharted.
A highly concentrated field dominated by academic and specialist water-technology filers
Nanyang Technological University leads the ranking with 14 patent records, followed by Trevi Systems Inc (12), Oasys Water Inc (10), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (8), and. China CAMC Engineering Hong Kong Co Ltd (4). These five organisations together represent the overwhelming majority of filing activity among the ranked applicants visible in this query.
The top-five share of 81% among the ranked applicants visible in this query signals an unusually tight visible assignee structure: a small cluster of academic and specialist commercial players holds the visible positions, with only six additional named filers beyond the top five, most holding single-digit patent records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nanyang Technological University | 14 | |
| 2 | Trevi Systems Inc | 12 | |
| 3 | Oasys Water Inc | 10 | |
| 4 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 8 | |
| 5 | China CAMC Engineering Hong Kong Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 6 | Artesion Inc | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Toyobo MC Corp | 2 | |
| 8 | Crystal Clear Technologies | 2 | |
| 9 | Porifera Inc | 2 | |
| 10 | Nagare Membranes LLC | 1 | |
| 11 | DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD | 1 |
The dual presence of a major research university (Nanyang Technological University) and purpose-built water-technology companies (Trevi Systems, Oasys Water) at the top suggests that the technology has moved partially out of pure academic exploration but has not yet attracted the broad industrial base typical of a fully commercialised field.
The most recent one to two years of data are subject to publication lag and should be treated as undercounts; the apparent near-zero filing rate in 2023–2025 does not necessarily reflect a complete cessation of R&D activity.
Filing peaked in 2017 and has eased; separation and water-treatment classes dominate the technology mix
The annual filing chart and IPC composition together reveal a field that generated its most active output early in the observation window, with the technology mix anchored firmly in two adjacent IPC domains.
Annual filing trend
Filing peaked in 2017 with six patent records, fell to four in 2018, two in 2019, and recorded zero filings in 2020–2023 before isolated single records appeared in 2024 and 2026. The recent-window growth rate stands at −50%, consistent with the lifecycle reading of a field easing from its peak. Given publication lag, the 2024–2026 data points should be regarded as lower bounds rather than definitive counts.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (Separation processes, filtration) and C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) together account for the large majority of patent records, confirming that core osmotic separation and water-recovery methods are the central technical concern. C08F (Addition polymers) appears as a secondary cluster, reflecting membrane-material innovation, while B01J, C25B, G05B, H01M, and H04L each contribute a single record, indicating that electrochemical, control-systems, and energy-storage applications remain sparsely covered.
↗ 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.
Processing including a membrane and gas recycling …
Provided is a forward osmosis membrane-based water treatment system (including water desalination) using a switchable polar solvent as the draw solvent that is switched through the addition and removal of carbon dioxide. Provided is the use of a membrane system that designed to operate within the chemistry and properties of switchable polar solvents to… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forward osmosis separation processes | 72 |
| 2 | Recovery of retrograde soluble solute for forward … | 48 |
| 3 | Renewable desalination of brines | 29 |
| 4 | A membrane and gas recycling system for forward os… | 27 |
| 5 | Combinatorial membrane-based systems and methods f… | 23 |
| 6 | Processing including a membrane and gas recycling … | 21 |
| 7 | Advancements in osmotically driven membrane system… | 19 |
| 8 | Advancements in osmotically driven membrane system… | 17 |
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.
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University holds 14 patent records, the highest count in the corpus. Its technology focus spans B01D 61 (osmotic separation processes), C02F 1 (water treatment), and C08F 120 (addition polymers for membrane materials), indicating that it covers both system-level recovery methods and the underlying membrane polymer chemistry. Applicant momentum data is not available for this corpus, so trajectory cannot be quantified beyond the observed corpus position.
patent records: 14Trevi Systems Inc
Trevi Systems Inc holds 12 patent records and concentrates its filings across C02F 1, B01D 61, and B01D 21, reflecting a system-integration emphasis on combined water-treatment and particulate-separation processes that supports its thermolytic draw-solute recovery approach. Applicant momentum data is not available for this corpus; trajectory should be assessed through primary filing-date analysis.
patent records: 12Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 14 patent families in scope. This is a small but technically specialised corpus, and the low absolute count reflects the niche nature of draw-solute recovery as a sub-field of forward osmosis technology.
Nanyang Technological University leads with 14 patent records, followed by Trevi Systems Inc with 12 and Oasys Water Inc with 10. These three organisations alone account for the majority of the top-ranked filers’ combined output.
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline. Annual filings peaked in 2017 at six patent records, fell progressively through 2019, and registered zero in 2020–2023, with isolated single records in 2024 and 2026. The recent-window growth rate is −50%, indicating that the field has eased significantly from its earlier peak.
The United States leads with 24 patent records, followed by WIPO (PCT) with 10, India with 8, Europe (EPO) with 7, Australia with 6, and Singapore with 5. China holds only one patent record despite its significance in FO membrane manufacturing.
B01D (Separation processes) and C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) are visible in the corpus. C08F (Addition polymers for membrane materials) represents a secondary cluster. B01J, C25B, G05B, H01M, and H04L each contribute a single patent record, making them the most sparsely covered adjacent branches relative to the core classes.
No co-applicant filing relationships were returned in the evidence for this corpus. Given the small corpus size of 14 patent families, this may reflect data-availability constraints rather than a definitive absence of collaborative R&D activity. Primary co-inventor analysis is advisable for a complete collaboration picture.
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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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