GFRP Recycling Patent Snapshot 2026
The GFRP recycling patent space is highly concentrated, with KOREC commanding the largest single-applicant position and pyrolysis-adjacent chemistry (C08J, C10B, C10G) accounting for the bulk of disclosed technology routes. Annual filing activity has plateaued near its 2018 peak, signalling a mature but thinly populated field with meaningful white space in adjacent process and material branches.
KOREC leads a sharply concentrated, specialist field
KOREC holds the top position in the applicant ranking with 16 patent records, a count that dwarfs every other participant. Toyota Motor Corporation follows at 5 patent records, with Ashland Inc. at 3 and. The Oil Shale at 2, creating a steep drop-off after the leader.
The top five filers account for 82% of the combined output of the ranked applicants visible in this query, an unusually high concentration that reflects the niche, technically demanding nature of GFRP chemical recycling rather than broad industrial adoption.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOREC | 16 | |
| 2 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 5 | |
| 3 | Ashland Inc. | 3 | |
| 4 | The Oil Shale | 2 | |
| 5 | HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT (AU… | 1 | |
| 6 | Magna Exteriors Inc. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | HUPP STEPHEN S | 1 | |
| 8 | TUFTS TIMOTHY A | 1 | |
| 9 | Applied Nanostructured Solutions LLC | 1 | |
| 10 | Mobile Biochar Solutions LLC | 1 | |
| 11 | TSAI CHUNG CHIEH | 1 |
KOREC’s dominance across polymer-processing (C08J), destructive distillation (C10B), and hydrocarbon-refining (C10G) routes suggests a vertically integrated recycling process IP strategy, making it the benchmark any new entrant must navigate.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and should be treated as under-counts; the apparent quiet in 2022–2026 does not necessarily reflect a slowdown in inventive activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity plateaued after a 2018 peak; thermochemical routes dominate the technology mix
The filing trend and technology-composition charts together reveal a field that established its core IP layer early and has not attracted sustained new filings, while the IPC mix confirms that thermochemical and polymer-dissolution pathways account for the overwhelming majority of disclosed approaches.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked in 2018 at 3 records per year and have not recovered to that level since. Activity has been sporadic — single filings in 2021, 2024, and 2025 — consistent with the lifecycle assessment of a plateaued field. Treat 2024–2025 figures as provisional given publication lag.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C08J (polymer processing and solutions) is the visible IPC class with 25 records, followed by C10B (coke and destructive distillation) at 17 and C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) at 15. B29B (plastics preparation) is a secondary cluster at 8. This distribution confirms that pyrolysis and glycolysis routes command attention, while mechanical recycling and waste-disposal branches (B09B, B29C, F23G) remain sparse.
↗ 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.
Carbon fiber recovery method
A carbon fiber recovery method for recovering carbon fibers from a fiber reinforced plastic member having a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) layer on which a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) layer is formed is provided. This method includes: forming a cut that penetrates through the GFRP layer and reaches the CFRP layer in the fiber reinforced… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Char composition and a method for making a char co… | 34 |
| 2 | Glycolysis of cured unsaturated polyesters for pro… | 20 |
| 3 | Windmill blade disposal and recycling system | 10 |
| 4 | 用于回收纤维玻璃增强塑料废物的热化学工艺 | 9 |
| 5 | Cured unsaturated polyesters glycolysis for recycl… | 9 |
| 6 | Carbon fiber recovery method | 8 |
| 7 | Carbon fiber recovery method | 8 |
| 8 | Carbon fiber recovery method | 7 |
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.
KOREC
KOREC holds 16 patent records concentrated across C08J 11 (polymer processing), C10B 53 (destructive distillation), and C10G 1 (hydrocarbon refining), indicating a fully integrated thermochemical recycling process strategy. No recent momentum data is available for KOREC, but its existing record count is more than three times that of the nearest competitor, making it the defining prior-art reference for any entrant in this space.
16 patent recordsToyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation holds 5 patent records with a technology emphasis spanning C08J 11 (polymer processing), B29B 17 (plastics preparation), and B32B 38 (layered products and laminates), suggesting a focus on recovering GFRP for reuse in manufactured parts rather than pure chemical breakdown. Magna Exteriors Inc. is the only applicant with tracked recent momentum, entering as a new entrant with 1 patent record focused on B29B and B29C shaping routes, signalling that automotive-adjacent suppliers are beginning to engage with mechanical recovery paths.
5 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 8 patent families. This is a small, specialist field, and the low family count should be interpreted alongside the spread of jurisdictions and IPC classes to understand coverage breadth.
KOREC is the leading filer with 16 patent records, concentrated in polymer-processing (C08J 11), destructive distillation (C10B 53), and hydrocarbon-refining (C10G 1) routes. Its record count is more than three times that of the second-ranked applicant, Toyota Motor Corporation, which holds 5 patent records.
C08J (polymer processing and solutions) leads with 25 patent records, followed by C10B (coke and destructive distillation) at 17 and C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) at 15. Together these three classes reflect a visible focus on pyrolysis and chemical dissolution (glycolysis) pathways for fiber and resin recovery.
Annual filing activity peaked in 2018 and has plateaued since, with only sporadic single-record filings in 2021, 2024, and 2025. The lifecycle stage is assessed as Maturity. The most recent 18–24 months remain subject to publication lag, so apparent quiet in 2024–2025 should not be taken as a definitive slowdown.
The United States leads with 8 patent records, followed by India (3), and a secondary cluster including China, Europe via EPO, Spain, Japan, and WIPO PCT at 2 records each. Coverage is selective rather than systematic, with multiple EU member states (Denmark, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia) appearing at 1 record each, largely reflecting European regional validation of a single EPO grant.
B09B (solid waste disposal) and C03C (glass and enamel compositions) each carry only 1–2 patent records despite their direct relevance to GFRP pre-treatment logistics and recovered-fiber quality specification respectively. B32B (layered products and laminates) and B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) are similarly sparse. These are observations of relative sparsity; their commercial value as entry points depends on further technical and freedom-to-operate assessment.
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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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