Hydrogen Sulfide Scavengers Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
- 49.2% concentration at the top. The top 5 assignees hold 126 of 256 records in scope — a field with a clear leading group rather than one dominant filer.
- +600% filing growth, 2021 to 2024. Filings rose from 3 to 21 over that span, the clearest complete-year signal of renewed activity in the dataset.
- Separation and refining dominate the claims. B01D and C10G together cover the majority of records, while water treatment (C02F) sits at just 7.0% — a narrow footprint given how central water handling is to the problem.
Filing growth compares 2021 (3 records) with 2024 (21) — 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 256 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the hydrogen sulfide scavenger patent record actually covers
Hydrogen sulfide scavenger chemistry sits at the intersection of oilfield production chemicals, gas processing, and refining. The 256 records in scope span triazine-based scavengers, regeneration of spent scavenger solution, and the mechanical hardware — injection quills, gas-liquid contactors — used to deliver them into a sour gas or crude stream. Filing activity peaked in 2017 at 32 records and has since moved unevenly, with a documented rebound from 2021 to 2024.
The technology composition shows the field is claimed predominantly as a separation and refining problem: B01D (separation processes) and C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) each cover a substantial share of records, while drilling (E21B) and fuels (C10L) form a secondary tier. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these shares are not mutually exclusive and add up to more than the record total.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 256-record dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how the underlying claims split across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2015–2026
Filings peaked in 2017 at 32 records and fell back before climbing again from 2021 (3 records) to 2024 (21 records), a documented +600% rise over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in as publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent years should not be read as a slowdown.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
B01D (separation processes) appears in 53.1% of the 256 records and C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) in 41.0%, making these the two dominant claim areas. E21B (wells) and C10L (fuels) follow at 23.0% and 20.7% respectively, while C02F (water and wastewater treatment) covers only 7.0% of records despite water handling being a downstream consequence of scavenging in nearly every application.
Shares are the percentage of the 256 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Hydrogen Sulfide Scavengers with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about hydrogen sulfide scavengers and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this field
US9347010B2 — Method of predicting/optimizing hydrogen sulfide scavenging capacity and reduction of scale formation
A method of optimizing a hydrogen sulfide scavenger blend that includes selecting a blend comprising at least two scavengers, determining a scavenging capacity for the blend, modifying at least one blend parameter based on the determined capacity, redetermining the scavenging capacity for the modified blend, and selecting an optimized blend from the original and modified blends.Filed by Schlumberger Norge AS, published 2016-05-24. Notable for claiming the optimization method itself rather than a specific scavenger chemistry, which broadens its practical reach across formulations.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5688478A | Method for scavenging sulfides | 124 |
| 2 | US5980845A | Regeneration of hydrogen sulfide scavengers | 106 |
| 3 | US6663841B2 | Removal of H2S and/or mercaptans from supercritical and/or liquid CO2 | 43 |
| 4 | US20140166288A1 | Squeeze treatment for in situ scavenging of hydrogen sulfide | 40 |
| 5 | US20090065445A1 | Aromatic imine compounds for use as sulfide scavengers | 34 |
| 6 | US20120329930A1 | Hydrogen sulfide scavenger for use in hydrocarbons | 29 |
| 7 | WO2011087540A2 | Emulsification of hydrocarbon gas oils to increase efficacy of water based hydrogen sulfide scavengers | 27 |
| 8 | US20140166289A1 | Scavenging hydrogen sulfide | 26 |
| 9 | US20140166282A1 | Functionalized hydrogen sulfide scavengers | 24 |
| 10 | US20030198585A1 | Removal of h2s and/or mercaptans from supercritical and/or liquid co2 | 24 |
Citation counts inside this corpus favour older records and should be read as a signal of influence within the searched set, not as a measure of current commercial importance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern signals for R&D and IP strategy
Three read-throughs from the concentration figures, the citation table, and the class composition — useful for deciding where to file next and whose claims to watch.
Leadership is grouped, not singular
The top 5 assignees combined hold 126 of the 256 records in scope, and the top 10 extend that to 178 records (69.5%). That is a leading cohort rather than a single dominant filer — the leader holds 34 records against a fifth-place figure of 13, so competitive pressure inside the group is real.
Renewed activity after a mid-decade lull
After the 2017 peak of 32 records, filings fell before recovering: 3 records in 2021 climbing to 21 in 2024. That complete-year window is the most reliable growth signal in the dataset, since 2025 and beyond are still filling in under normal publication lag.
Separation claims dominate; water treatment is thin
B01D covers 53.1% of records and C10G 41.0%, confirming the field is claimed mainly as a separation and refining problem. C02F (water and wastewater treatment) sits at just 7.0%, a narrow footprint for a chemistry whose downstream byproducts (spent scavenger solution, dithiazine deposits) are fundamentally a water and solids-handling issue.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to hydrogen sulfide scavengers, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Ecolab USA Inc. | CHAMPIONX USA INC | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | STEELE ROBERT A | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | STARK JOSEPH L | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | SCHIELD JOHN A | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | CAPPEL WELDON J | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | BARNES MATTHEW T | 2 |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | BABIC SAMARDZIJA KSENIJA | 2 |
| Nalco Company | CHAMPIONX LLC | 2 |
The dataset records 10 co-assignee pairs, with the strongest pairings appearing twice each — a modest but real signal of joint filing between corporate assignees and named inventors rather than purely internal R&D.
Who is filing, and where the claim space is still open
The ranking covers 55 companies counted in records — the whole set the data endpoint returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut. Recent-year momentum across the leading assignees has largely flattened to zero in the latest year, consistent with publication lag rather than an actual pullback.
A single leader, then a competitive cohort
The top assignee holds 34 records against 13 at fifth place and 9 at tenth — a real gap at the top, but one bridged by a wide field of companies each holding a handful of records rather than a long tail of single filers only.
Joint filing is limited but consistent
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, with the strongest recurring twice — evidence of some inventor-to-corporate or corporate-to-corporate collaboration, though most filings remain single-assignee.
US filings lead, PCT and EPO follow
The United States receives the largest share of filings at 94, with WIPO/PCT applications at 38 and EPO filings at 32, followed by Canada at 27 and Australia at 15 — a filing footprint concentrated in North America with a meaningful international PCT layer.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Ecolab USA Inc. | 0 | — |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | 0 | — |
| Nalco Company | 0 | — |
| King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 0 | -100% |
| General Electric Company | 0 | — |
| ConocoPhillips Company | 0 | — |
| Lyra Energy SRL | 0 | — |
| CRESCENT HLDG | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio benchmarking, or identifying open claim space.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the most-cited records
The five most-cited patents in this set, several dating to the 1990s and 2000s, still carry heavy citation weight and may define core scavenging-method claims worth checking against any new formulation or process.
Explore in EurekaMap the under-claimed branches before filing
C02F and the deposit-formation and contactor-hardware areas show comparatively lighter claim density than B01D or C10G, making them a reasonable starting point for a novelty search.
Explore in EurekaTrack the leading cohort's post-2024 activity
Recent-year momentum figures for several top assignees show zero in the latest year, which is expected under publication lag rather than a genuine drop — worth re-checking as later filings publish.
Explore in EurekaCommon questions about hydrogen sulfide scavenger patents
The dataset's top-ranked assignee holds 34 of the 256 records in scope, with the fifth-ranked assignee at 13 and the tenth at 9. The top 5 assignees combined account for 49.2% of all records (126 of 256), and the top 10 account for 69.5% (178 of 256). This is a leading cohort rather than a single dominant filer, so competitive monitoring should cover several companies, not just the top name.
A hydrogen sulfide scavenger is a chemical, most commonly a triazine-based compound, injected into a gas, oil, or water stream to remove or neutralise H2S. Patent claims in this field are dominated by separation-process framing (B01D, 53.1% of records) and hydrocarbon refining framing (C10G, 41.0% of records), meaning most filings describe the scavenger as part of a process or system rather than as a standalone composition. Drilling-related applications (E21B) and fuel-stream applications (C10L) form secondary but significant claim areas.
Yes, over the most reliable complete-year window: filings rose from 3 records in 2021 to 21 records in 2024, a documented increase of 600%. The field's overall peak so far is 2017 at 32 records. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so those years should not be read as a decline.
The class composition data shows water and wastewater treatment (C02F) covers only 7.0% of the 256 records, a narrow footprint relative to how central water handling is to spent scavenger solution and deposit byproducts. Specific technical branches such as dithiazine deposit mitigation, spent scavenger regeneration, and gas-liquid contactor hardware also appear comparatively under-claimed relative to the dominant separation and refining classes. These are reasonable starting points for a novelty search before committing to a filing strategy.
The most-cited record in this corpus is US5688478A, 'Method for scavenging sulfides,' cited 124 times, followed by US5980845A on regeneration of hydrogen sulfide scavengers at 106 citations. Both are older filings, and citation counts inside a searched corpus tend to favour older records simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations. They should be read as a signal of influence within this dataset, not as a current measure of commercial importance.
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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.