FO Module Scale-Up Patent Landscape 2026
Forward osmosis module scale-up is a compact, moderately concentrated field dominated by Asahi Kasei, whose portfolio is roughly three times the size of the next-ranked filer. The field peaked in 2020 and has since eased, with B01D separation-process patents accounting for the overwhelming share of technical activity.
Asahi Kasei leads a concentrated field with a clear tier gap
Asahi Kasei holds the top position in this space with 35 patent records, more than double the count of any single rival. The top five filers collectively account for 52% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, signaling a moderately concentrated competitive structure.
A distinct tier gap separates the leader from a mid-tier cluster — LG NanoH2O, Diamond Gold Investors, Nanyang Technological University, and Fujifilm — each holding between 12 and 13 patent records. A second cluster of institutions (Kobe University, Technion R&D Foundation, IDE Water Technologies, ZNano, SeeBio) holds 6–11 patent records each.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asahi Kasei Corporation | 35 | |
| 2 | LG NanoH2O Inc. | 13 | |
| 3 | Diamond Gold Investors LLC | 12 | |
| 4 | Nanyang Technological University | 12 | |
| 5 | FUJIFILM Corporation | 12 | |
| 6 | Kobe University | 11 | |
| 7 | TECHNION RES & DEV FOUND LTD | 7 | |
| 8 | IDE Water Technologies Ltd. | 6 | |
| 9 | ZNano LLC | 6 | |
| 10 | SeeBio Inc. | 6 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | LG Chem Ltd. | 5 | |
| 12 | Chemetics Inc. | 5 | |
| 13 | DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD | 4 | |
| 14 | NanoH2O Co. Ltd. | 4 | |
| 15 | UT-Battelle LLC | 3 | |
| 16 | TerraLithium LLC | 2 | |
| 17 | JFE Engineering Corporation | 2 | |
| 18 | KOREA ADVANCED INST OF SCI & TECH | 2 | |
| 19 | CrossTek Holding Co. LLC | 2 | |
| 20 | Aker Solutions Canada | 2 |
Asahi Kasei’s scale advantage, reinforced by an active co-development relationship with Kobe University, gives it broad coverage across membrane module configuration and polymer chemistry sub-classes. The mid-tier filers each represent viable challengers but would need to close a significant gap to contest leadership across the full technology stack.
Patent publications from approximately 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual recent filing activity; treat the most recent data points as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing activity peaked in 2020; separation-process IP dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that built momentum through 2017–2020, reached its highest activity in 2020, and has since eased. The technology composition is heavily weighted toward B01D separation-process sub-classes, with secondary coverage in water treatment.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew steadily from 2018 through 2020, when annual volume peaked. Post-2020 volumes are lower, consistent with a field past its peak growth phase. Data from 2024 onward reflects publication lag and should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (separation processes, filtration) is the dominant class by a wide margin, reflecting the membrane-module core of this field. C02F (water and wastewater treatment) forms a meaningful secondary cluster. All remaining classes — including C01B, C25B, F26B, A23L, and C07C — each represent small shares, identifying them as adjacent or under-served branches.
↗ 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.
Production of concentrated spent dialysate
A concentrated spent dialysate is produced for by reducing electrolytes in a spent dialysate by electrodialysis and de-watering the spent dialysate by a forward osmosis operation. A hemodialysis treatment apparatus has an ultrafiltration unit for exchange of solutes of a patient’s blood plasma and a dialysate, resulting in a stream of cleaned blood for… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Self-Assembled Surfactant Structures | 70 |
| 2 | Process for manufacturing potable water and appara… | 63 |
| 3 | Additives for salt rejection enhancement of a memb… | 29 |
| 4 | Forward osmosis hollow fiber membrane | 27 |
| 5 | Apparatus and method for osmotic membrane distilla… | 22 |
| 6 | Forward osmosis composite membranes for concentrat… | 21 |
| 7 | Additives for boron rejection enhancement of a mem… | 19 |
| 8 | A draw solute and an improved forward osmosis method | 19 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations shape where new entrants and incumbents should focus effort: the life-cycle stage, concentration dynamics, collaboration patterns, and geographic reach.
Field is in decline from its 2020 peak
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2020 peak. For R&D teams, this signals that foundational membrane-module configuration IP is becoming settled. New entrants face a denser prior-art landscape but may find room in application-specific or draw-solute sub-classes that remain sparse.
Past-peakOne dominant player, a competitive mid-tier cluster
Asahi Kasei’s lead at 35 patent records creates a significant barrier in core membrane-structure and module-configuration claims. The mid-tier — LG NanoH2O, Diamond Gold Investors, Nanyang Tech University, Fujifilm — is closely bunched between 12 and 13 patent records each, meaning relative standings in this cluster could shift with a focused filing campaign. The lowest tier (6–11 records) offers the most realistic entry points for new challengers.
ConcentratedTwo active co-filing pairs anchor the ecosystem
The most active co-filing relationship is between Asahi Kasei and Kobe University, with 11 joint filings — a university-industry pairing that deepens Asahi Kasei’s position in membrane polymer science. LG NanoH2O and LG Chem form the second active pair with 9 joint filings, consolidating the LG group’s membrane-materials position. Both relationships suggest that academic partnerships are a proven route to building depth in this field.
Industry-academiaUS and Europe lead; Asia-Pacific is secondary
The United States leads as the primary filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO). Canada, WIPO (PCT), and Singapore form a secondary tier. China holds only one patent record in the corpus, indicating limited prosecution activity there despite Chinese industrial interest in membrane technology — a potential gap worth monitoring for freedom-to-operate assessments.
US-ledGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | Kobe University | 11 |
| LG NanoH2O Inc. | LG Chem Ltd. | 9 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Asahi Kasei and LG NanoH2O lead by route emphasis and portfolio scale
The top two filers differ meaningfully in portfolio breadth and technical focus. Asahi Kasei covers the full membrane-module stack through an industry-academia co-filing strategy; LG NanoH2O concentrates on membrane structure and polymer chemistry in coordination with LG Chem.
Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei holds 35 patent records, giving it a portfolio roughly 2.7 times larger than the next-ranked filer. Its technical emphasis spans B01D 69 (membrane structures), B01D 71 (polymer membranes), and B01D 63 (module configurations) — the three sub-classes most central to FO module scale-up. Its active co-filing program with Kobe University (11 joint filings) signals continued investment in membrane polymer science. Momentum is classified as a new entrant in the most recent period, with 3 recent patent records, indicating continued but measured activity.
35 patent recordsLG NanoH2O
LG NanoH2O holds 13 patent records and concentrates its filings on B01D 69 (membrane structures) and B01D 71 (polymer membranes), with secondary coverage in C02F 1 (water treatment processes). Its 9 joint filings with LG Chem (5 patent records) effectively extend the group’s combined position and create a coordinated materials-to-module coverage strategy. LG NanoH2O sits at the top of the competitive mid-tier and is the most credible near-term challenger to Asahi Kasei’s leadership.
13 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd. | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the FO module core
Several IPC classes appear at low density relative to the dominant B01D core, making them candidates for adjacent technical development. These are observations of relative sparsity; entry-path viability depends on each organization’s existing capabilities.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
With 13 patent records, C25B sits at 4% of the technology composition. The intersection of forward osmosis concentration and electrolytic processing is technically plausible for applications such as lithium or mineral recovery from brine, where FO pre-concentration feeds an electrochemical separation step. The sparse filing density suggests limited incumbent coverage and a realistic entry path for organizations with existing electrochemical process expertise.
Search this in Eureka →F26B · Drying
F26B appears in 8 patent records, representing 3% of the composition. Drying and dewatering applications downstream of FO concentration — such as food ingredient concentration or pharmaceutical intermediate processing — are technically adjacent and lightly contested. Organizations already active in A23L (food processing) or industrial drying could find a low-barrier entry point here, particularly given the sparse overlap with the dominant B01D filers.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 55 patent families in scope. These span membrane module configuration, draw solute design, and application-specific forward osmosis deployments across global jurisdictions.
Asahi Kasei holds the top position with 35 patent records, more than double the count of the next-ranked filer. Its portfolio covers membrane structures, polymer membranes, and module configurations — the three sub-classes most central to this field.
No. The lifecycle evidence classifies the field as Decline. Annual filings peaked in 2020 and have eased since. Publications from 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual recent activity, but the multi-year trend is past its peak.
The United States leads as the primary filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO). Canada, WIPO (PCT), and Singapore form a secondary tier. China holds only one patent record in the corpus, which may be relevant for freedom-to-operate analysis despite broader Chinese industrial interest in membrane technology.
Yes. The two most active co-filing pairs are Asahi Kasei with Kobe University (11 joint filings) and LG NanoH2O with LG Chem (9 joint filings). Both are university-industry or group-company pairings that reinforce the portfolio positions of the leading filers.
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, 13 patent records) and F26B (drying, 8 patent records) are the most notable sparse adjacent branches. A23L (foods and non-alcoholic beverages) and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) each appear in 7 patent records. All are small relative to the dominant B01D separation-process class.
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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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