Liquid-Liquid Extraction Equipment Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
- Flat, not growing. Filings peaked at 27 in 2023 after sitting near 23-24 since 2017 — this is a mature claim space, not an emerging one.
- B01D dominates by a wide margin. 690 of 816 records sit in separation processes (B01D), with metal extraction (C22B, 235) a distant second — most other IPC classes are secondary attachments, not primary filing targets.
- Consolidation is thin. Only 10 co-assignee pairs exist across the whole dataset, and recent-year momentum across the most active assignees has dropped to zero — no single filer is currently pushing new volume.
What this landscape covers
Liquid-liquid extraction equipment patents span mixer-settler systems, counter-current extraction columns and the instrumentation that governs stage efficiency, phase separation and distribution coefficient control. The search captures 816 patent families filed between 2015 and mid-2026, concentrated in separation-process equipment (B01D) with a substantial secondary cluster in metal extraction and refining (C22B) — a signature of hydrometallurgical solvent extraction claims sitting alongside general chemical process equipment.
Filing activity has been essentially flat for close to a decade, with a mild peak in 2023 rather than a sustained climb. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years in any trend understate true filing activity, but the shape of the curve up to that point already points to a settled rather than expanding field.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 816-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year on year, and how those filings distribute across IPC subclasses.
A decade of flat filing activity
From 24 filings in 2017 to a peak of 27 in 2023, with the 2022 midpoint at 23, the trend shows no sustained growth — activity oscillates in a narrow band rather than compounding, and the drop toward 2026 reflects publication lag as much as any real slowdown.
Separation equipment carries the field
B01D accounts for 690 of 816 records, roughly 85% of the corpus, with C22B's 235 records marking the metals-extraction sub-track. Everything below that — C07C, C01G, B01J, G01N, C02F, B01F — appears as secondary classification on filings anchored elsewhere, not as an independent filing center.
Shares are the percentage of the 816 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Liquid-Liquid Extraction Equipment with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about liquid-liquid extraction equipment and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited prior art and a representative filing
US20150314217A1 — A Liquid-Liquid Extraction System and Process for use Thereof
A liquid-liquid extraction system combining a mixer-settler sub-system, comprising one or more mixer settlers connected in series, with a counter-current liquid-liquid extraction column that includes a mixing section with agitation and/or a static section with an internal. The mixer-settler outlet feeds directly into the column inlet, integrating both stage types in a single fluid path.Filed by Sulzer Management AG, published 2015-11-05.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US4865973A | Process for extractive fermentation | 128 |
| 2 | US4378275A | Metal sulphide extraction | 81 |
| 3 | US5492838A | Process and device for continuous extraction and analysis of fluid using membrane | 79 |
| 4 | US3389970A | Liquid-liquid extraction column having rotatable pumping impeller assemblies | 79 |
| 5 | US3900551A | Selective extraction of metals from acidic uranium (VI) solutions using neo-tridecano-hydroxamic acid | 75 |
| 6 | US7157061B2 | Process for radioisotope recovery and system for implementing same | 69 |
| 7 | US6132615A | Method and apparatus for creating controlled flows in two mutually separable solutions | 61 |
| 8 | US3977203A | Purification of natural gas by liquid/liquid extraction with a polar solvent | 60 |
| 9 | US5720882A | Treatment method for waste water sludge comprising phoshorous, heavy metals and at least one metal | 55 |
| 10 | US4081354A | Liquid-liquid extraction process | 50 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citers; treat this list as a map of influential prior art, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-throughs from the trend, the IPC split and the citation table, aimed at where to file next and where prior art is thickest.
Separation equipment claims are crowded
With roughly 85% of the corpus classified under B01D, new mixer-settler and column-geometry claims are filing into the densest part of the space. High density here signals occupied claim territory around agitation, staging and internals — not that the underlying engineering problem is solved.
Old fermentation-extraction art still anchors the field
The most-cited record, US4865973A on extractive fermentation, and the rotatable-impeller column US3389970A, both predate the current filing window by decades yet remain reference points. That is a citation-count artefact of corpus age as much as a sign these designs are still the state of the art.
Collaboration is limited and recently inactive
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across 816 families, and the strongest pairings involve a single Finnish process-technology group filing jointly with named inventors or a chemicals partner. Recent-year momentum for the most active assignees has dropped to zero, suggesting current activity is dispersed across smaller, singly-assigned filings rather than joint programmes.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to liquid-liquid extraction equipment, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claims, and where new entrants can still stake ground
Filing history is concentrated among a small set of process-technology and metals groups, but none show fresh momentum in the latest reported year — a sign the incumbents are maintaining portfolios rather than expanding them.
US, EPO and PCT lead filing venues
United States filings (216) lead, followed by Europe (114) and WIPO/PCT (78), with Australia, Canada and Japan each in the 56-64 range. That spread points to a field where applicants pursue broad multi-jurisdiction protection rather than concentrating in a single home market.
Top assignees show no current-year filings
Every one of the assignees with the strongest historical presence, including the leading Finnish process-technology group and several national research bodies, shows zero filings in the latest reported year. Given publication lag, some of this is timing, but the pattern across so many top filers at once still reads as a pause rather than noise.
Joint filing is the exception, not the rule
The strongest co-assignee relationship in the dataset reaches 7 shared filings; the next strongest pairs drop to 4-5. With only 10 pairs total across 816 families, most patents here are singly assigned, which lowers the bar for a new entrant to file without navigating a joint-ownership thicket.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Outotec Oyj | 0 | — |
| Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 0 | — |
| Easy Mining Sweden AB | 0 | — |
| Outotec (Finland) Oy | 0 | — |
| Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| INVISTA North America | 0 | — |
| Shell International Research Maatschappij B.V. | 0 | — |
| 3M Innovative Properties Company | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a mature, multi-jurisdiction field with thin collaboration and specific under-claimed branches. The next step is testing a concrete claim against this prior art rather than reading further summaries.
Draft against the B01D core
Any new mixer-settler or column claim should be checked against the dense B01D cluster first, since that is where 85% of prior art sits and where independent claims are most likely to collide.
Run a claim check in EurekaExplore the under-claimed branches
Emulsion-breaking internals, in-line distribution-coefficient sensing and membrane-integrated mixer-settlers show thinner dedicated filing relative to the core, which is where a first-mover claim has more room.
Explore white space in EurekaCommon questions about liquid-liquid extraction equipment patents
The dataset's strongest filers include a major Finnish process-technology group (appearing under related entity names), national research bodies, and specialty chemicals companies with metals-extraction interests. None of these top assignees show filings in the most recent reported year, which given the roughly 18-month publication lag likely reflects timing rather than a genuine exit from the field. No single assignee holds a dominant share of the 816 families, so the ownership picture is more fragmented than the citation table alone would suggest.
Filing volume has been essentially flat since 2017, moving from 24 filings that year to a peak of 27 in 2023 with a midpoint of 23 in 2022. That pattern indicates a mature field rather than one in active expansion. The apparent drop toward 2026 is partly an artefact of publication lag, since the most recent one to two years of any filing trend are always undercounted at the point of measurement.
B01D, covering separation processes including filtration, dominates the corpus with 690 of 816 records, making it the class to search first for any new equipment claim. C22B, metal extraction and refining, is the clear secondary cluster at 235 records, reflecting the overlap between solvent extraction equipment and hydrometallurgical processing. Classes like C07C, C01G, B01J, G01N, C02F and B01F appear at much lower volumes and mostly function as secondary classifications on filings anchored in B01D or C22B rather than as independent filing centres.
The core mixer-settler and extraction-column geometries are densely claimed, but several adjacent branches show comparatively thin dedicated filing: emulsion-breaking internals for high-throughput columns, in-line distribution-coefficient sensing, mixer-settler integration with membrane-based phase separation, and continuous stage-efficiency monitoring instrumentation. These sit at the edges of the B01D core and often cross into instrumentation (G01N) or water treatment (C02F) territory that is under-represented relative to the core cluster. A first claim in these areas should tie the novel instrumentation or internal directly to a measurable stage-efficiency or throughput outcome to distinguish it from the dense prior art in the core.
Ownership is concentrated by citation influence but not by joint filing: only 10 co-assignee pairs exist across the entire 816-family dataset, and the strongest reaches just 7 shared filings. That means most patents are singly assigned rather than held jointly, which lowers the practical complexity of freedom-to-operate analysis compared with fields where cross-licensing and joint ventures are common. Receiving-office data also shows filers spreading protection across the United States, Europe, PCT, Australia, Canada and Japan rather than concentrating in one jurisdiction.
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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.