Forward Osmosis Pretreatment & Fouling Patent Landscape
Forward Water Technologies leads a moderately concentrated field spanning 106 patent families, with the United States as the dominant filing office. Annual activity peaked around 2021 and has eased since, signaling a maturing but still commercially active space with selective entry opportunities.
Forward Water Technologies leads a moderately concentrated field
Forward Water Technologies holds the top position in applicant rankings, followed by Asahi Kasei and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The top five filers together account for 26% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderate — not extreme — concentration at the head of the field.
A clear two-tier structure is visible: the leader and second-ranked applicant together account for a disproportionate share relative to the third through fifth ranked players, whose counts are closely grouped. The remaining filers are largely single-digit contributors, including universities, national research councils, and specialized water-technology firms.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forward Water Technologies | 19 | |
| 2 | Asahi Kasei Corporation | 13 | |
| 3 | KING ABDULLAH UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 9 | |
| 4 | FOSMO Med Inc. | 7 | |
| 5 | JFE Engineering Corporation | 7 | |
| 6 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 7 | |
| 7 | IDE Water Technologies Ltd. | 6 | |
| 8 | Dead Sea Works Ltd. | 6 | |
| 9 | Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research | 5 | |
| 10 | Porifera Inc. | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | OasYs Water Inc. | 5 | |
| 12 | Yale University | 4 | |
| 13 | Toyobo MC Corporation | 4 | |
| 14 | Organo Corporation | 4 | |
| 15 | NRGTek Inc. | 4 | |
| 16 | Shandong Jianzhu University | 3 | |
| 17 | TerraLithium LLC | 3 | |
| 18 | Fairlife LLC | 3 | |
| 19 | Cornell University | 3 | |
| 20 | Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | 3 |
The leader’s position reflects a focused commercialization strategy, while the presence of academic institutions (Yale University, Cornell University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Shandong Jianzhu University) in the top twenty signals that foundational membrane and fouling-mechanism research remains an active source of new IP rather than a settled art.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and likely undercount activity; apparent softness in 2023–2025 data should be interpreted with this in mind. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2021; separation and water-treatment classes dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend and the IPC composition together reveal where the field has concentrated its effort and where relative gaps remain for new entrants.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 10 records in 2017 to a plateau of 17 in both 2021 and 2022, then eased. The apparent low for 2023 reflects publication lag rather than a real collapse; 2024 and 2025 figures are also undercounted. The multi-year build-up through 2021–2022 confirms this was a growth field; the easing from that peak is consistent with a maturing lifecycle stage.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Separation processes (B01D) and water and wastewater treatment (C02F) together account for the overwhelming majority of IPC records, reflecting the field’s core identity. All other classes — including condensation polymers (C08G), food and beverage (A23L), material analysis (G01N), and drying (F26B) — each represent only a small fraction of records, pointing to under-served adjacent application areas.
↗ 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.
Online cleaning system for micro-polluted nanofilt…
An online cleaning system for micro-polluted nanofiltration membranes uses forward osmosis, and a process of the online cleaning system, and relates to the field of water treatment membrane separation technique. The online cleaning system includes a nanofiltration raw water tank, a nanofiltration membrane assembly, a pure water tank, a forward osmosis feed… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and system for generating strong brines | 58 |
| 2 | Apparatus, System, and Method for Forward Osmosis … | 58 |
| 3 | Reciprocal enhancement of reverse osmosis and forw… | 45 |
| 4 | Forward Osmosis, Reverse Osmosis, and Nano/Micro F… | 44 |
| 5 | Nanoparticle-functionalized membranes, methods of … | 44 |
| 6 | Hybrid Systems and Methods with Forward Osmosis an… | 28 |
| 7 | Method of solvent recovery from a dilute solution | 28 |
| 8 | Nanoparticle-functionalized membranes, methods of … | 25 |
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 dimensions — lifecycle stage, applicant concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic reach — each carry distinct implications for where new investment will face the least friction.
Field is past its filing peak; core routes are well-occupied
Annual filings peaked around 2021 and have eased from that high, placing the field in a late-growth to early-maturity stage. Core B01D and C02F territory is well-populated by established players. New entrants are better served targeting differentiated sub-applications — such as food concentration, lithium recovery, or medical fluid management — rather than competing directly on mainstream desalination or wastewater pretreatment.
Past-peak · maturingModerate concentration leaves room for specialist challengers
The top five filers hold 26% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, which is moderate rather than dominant. The leader’s gap over third-through-fifth ranked players is meaningful, but the field is not locked up by one or two incumbents. Specialist firms and research institutions still account for a substantial share of active filings, suggesting viable entry paths for organizations with differentiated membrane chemistry or application-specific know-how.
Moderate HHICo-filing activity is minimal; IDE Technologies entities are the only identified pair
The only co-applicant relationship identified in the data is between two IDE Technologies-related entities, with two joint filings. This very low collaboration density suggests the field operates through largely independent R&D pipelines rather than consortium-style development. For an entrant, this means licensing or acquisition of existing IP may be more practical than seeking a co-development partner from within the current applicant base.
Low co-filing densityUnited States dominates filings; Middle East and Asia represent secondary hubs
The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction, reflecting both the location of key commercial applicants and the importance of US market access. Europe (EPO), WIPO (PCT), China, and India each carry meaningful filing volumes, indicating applicants are seeking broad international protection. Israel, represented through IDE and Dead Sea Works, and the Gulf region via King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, underscore the field’s strategic importance to water-scarce markets.
US-led · global spreadGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IDE Technologies Ltd. | IDE Water Technologies Ltd. | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Forward Water Technologies and Asahi Kasei lead with distinct technology emphases
The top two applicants differ in their IPC focus: the leader concentrates on water treatment system-level IP, while the challenger is membrane-material-centric. Both have entered the ranking as new entrants in recent filing windows.
Forward Water Technologies
Forward Water Technologies holds the top rank with 19 patent records, concentrating its portfolio across separation process (B01D 61) and water and wastewater treatment (C02F 1) classes — a broad system-level coverage of forward osmosis operation. Its momentum is flagged as a new entrant in the most recent filing window, suggesting its current standing reflects a concentrated burst of recent activity rather than a long accumulation, warranting attention to the depth and enforceability of its portfolio.
patent records: 19Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei ranks second with 13 patent records and demonstrates a distinctly membrane-material orientation, with equal coverage across B01D 61 (separation processes), B01D 69 (membrane form factors), and B01D 71 (membrane materials). This positions Asahi Kasei as the field’s leading membrane-substrate specialist. Its trend is also flagged as a new entrant in the recent window, indicating a deliberate push into this application space from its broader membrane manufacturing base.
patent records: 13| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Water Technologies | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the forward osmosis core
Several IPC classes appear in the corpus at low record counts relative to the dominant B01D and C02F classes. These represent observations of relative sparsity; only those with clear technical rationale and a realistic entry path are framed as potential opportunities.
C08G · Condensation Polymers for Tailored Draw-Solute or Membrane Chemistry
C08G carries only 10 records against over 200 in the core separation class — a sparse presence despite the recognized importance of polymer architecture in controlling membrane fouling resistance and draw-solute recovery. Researchers with polymer synthesis capabilities could find room to establish foundational IP in stimuli-responsive or low-fouling condensation polymer systems specifically optimized for forward osmosis operating conditions. Entry would likely require coupling polymer synthesis expertise with membrane fabrication know-how.
Search this in Eureka →G01N · Fouling Measurement, Characterization, and In-Situ Monitoring
G01N (material analysis and testing) appears in only 7 records, suggesting that in-situ and real-time fouling characterization methods remain under-patented relative to the operational scale of the problem. Analytical and sensing approaches — including optical coherence tomography, impedance spectroscopy, or machine-learning-assisted flux-decline diagnostics applied to forward osmosis membranes — represent technically grounded adjacent ground. Organizations with instrumentation or process-sensing expertise could enter this adjacent branch with limited direct competition from current top filers.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01D 61 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | C02F 1 · Water & wastewater treatment | B01D 63 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | B01D 65 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | C02F 103 · Water & wastewater treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Water Technologies | Strong · 19 | Strong · 19 | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 4 |
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | Strong · 13 | Absent | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent |
| FOSMO Med Inc. | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Strong · 7 | Absent |
| Toyobo Co., Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Strong · 4 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Moderate · 2 |
| IDE Technologies Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 2 |
| OasYs Water Inc. | Strong · 7 | Strong · 7 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 106 patent families covering forward osmosis pretreatment and fouling control across global jurisdictions.
Forward Water Technologies holds the top rank with 19 patent records, ahead of Asahi Kasei with 13 and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology with 9.
The United States is the dominant filing office with 81 records. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each carry 26 records, followed by China with 24 and India with 18, reflecting broad international protection strategies.
Annual filings peaked around 2021 at 17 records and have eased from that level, indicating the field has moved past its peak filing rate into a maturing phase. Publication lag means the most recent 18–24 months of data are undercounted.
Condensation polymers (C08G) and material analysis and testing methods (G01N) each appear in only 7–10 records against over 200 in the core separation class, indicating relative sparsity in tailored membrane polymer chemistry and in-situ fouling characterization methods.
Collaboration is minimal. The only identified co-applicant relationship is between two IDE Technologies-related entities with two joint filings, suggesting the field develops largely through independent R&D pipelines.
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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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