Membrane Reactor Purification Patents: Trends & Top Filers 2026
- Filing peaked in 2022 at 26 records and has not returned to that level since, suggesting the field's most active filing wave has already passed rather than being in front of it.
- Separation science, not catalysis, carries the claim weight 128 of 145 records sit in B01D versus 81 in B01J, meaning membrane and separation mechanics are the denser prior art to search before catalyst-side filing.
- The United States and China lead receiving offices at 35 and 28 filings with Europe, WIPO, Australia and Japan trailing well behind, marking where enforcement and freedom-to-operate risk actually concentrates.
What this landscape covers
Membrane reactor purification sits at the intersection of separation science and catalytic process engineering: a single unit that combines a chemical reaction with in-situ selective permeation, most commonly to pull hydrogen or a target product out of a reaction mixture as it forms. This dataset tracks 145 patent families filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that describe membrane reactors used specifically for purification — hydrogen purification, in-situ product purification, selective permeation, or membrane separation — rather than membrane reactors used purely for reaction intensification without a purification claim.
The classification spread shows a field anchored in separation hardware (B01D) and catalytic process design (B01J), with meaningful secondary activity in inorganic hydrogen chemistry (C01B) and a smaller but persistent thread in combustion and air-supply systems, where membrane reactors appear as integrated purification stages rather than standalone units.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 145 families: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how the underlying IPC classes divide the claim space.
A filing wave that has already crested
Annual filings rose from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 26 in 2022, then eased off; 2026 figures (4 so far) are necessarily incomplete given the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication, but the shape through 2023-2025 already points to a plateau rather than continued acceleration.
Separation and catalysis dominate, water and biology are marginal
B01D (128 records) and B01J (81) between them cover most of the corpus; C01B (61) reflects the hydrogen-purification use case specifically, C07C (28) reflects organic-synthesis applications, and the smallest classes — F23C, F23L and C12N — mark peripheral integration points (combustion trains, bioreactor purification) that few filers have claimed deeply.
Shares are the percentage of the 145 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Membrane Reactor Purification with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about membrane reactor purification and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records anchoring this space
Anti-pollution electrocatalysis composite membrane and membrane reactor (US9162905B2)
Describes an antifouling electrocatalytic composite membrane built on a conductive or conductively-coated porous substrate, with a catalytic coating supported in and on the substrate's pores to raise electrocatalytic activity, used within a membrane reactor that applies trans-membrane pressure to drive separation.Filed by Tianjin Polytechnic University, published 2015-10-20 — illustrative of the composite-membrane-plus-electrocatalysis approach that recurs across the corpus.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6237339B1 | Process for generating power and/or heat comprising a mixed conducting membrane reactor | 116 |
| 2 | US5077217A | Method for membrane reactor resolution of stereoisomers | 85 |
| 3 | US20070157517A1 | Single stage membrane reactor for high purity hydrogen production | 56 |
| 4 | CN101597096A | 一种电催化膜反应器装置 | 48 |
| 5 | US20040163313A1 | Hydrogen generation apparatus | 39 |
| 6 | US20040251201A1 | Porous inorganic membrane containing carbon; a process for its preparation; and use thereof | 32 |
| 7 | US20150226118A1 | Oxygen transport membrane reactor based method and system for generating electric power | 31 |
| 8 | US20070240565A1 | Membrane reactor for H2S, CO2 and H2 separation | 27 |
| 9 | US7255725B2 | Porous inorganic membrane containing carbon; a process for its preparation; and use thereof | 27 |
| 10 | US8597383B2 | Metal supported silica based catalytic membrane reactor assembly | 26 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply by virtue of having had more time to accumulate references; treat them as a map of foundational art, not current commercial weight.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers say about where this field stands
Three data points that change how a search or freedom-to-operate review should be scoped for this space.
The wave has crested, not started
Filings climbed from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 26 in 2022 and have not matched that level since. A field past its filing peak is one where the core architectures are already claimed; new filings are more likely to be refinements than foundational art.
Separation hardware carries more claim density than catalysis
Nearly 90% of records touch B01D (separation processes), while just over half touch B01J (catalytic processes). Anyone designing a new membrane geometry or module configuration should expect denser prior art than someone innovating on catalyst formulation alone.
Enforcement risk concentrates in two offices
The United States (35) and China (28) together account for well over a third of all receiving-office filings, ahead of Europe (23), WIPO (17), Australia (8) and Japan (8). Clearance work should weight these two jurisdictions first.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to membrane reactor purification, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where activity is still live
Filing in this space is thin at the top: no single assignee dominates the 145-family corpus, and recent-year activity has shifted toward a small set of newer filers rather than the historically cited names.
Nanjing Tech and Nuovo Pignone lead current activity
Nanjing Tech University and Nuovo Pignone Tecnologie each show 2 filings in the latest tracked year, while historically active names such as Norsk Hydro, JFE Steel, and the Eindhoven/Tecnalia collaboration show none in the same period.
One academic-institute pairing stands well above the rest
Eindhoven University of Technology and Tecnalia Research & Innovation co-file at a rate (11 shared families) far ahead of any other pair in the 10 tracked co-assignee relationships, pointing to a sustained joint research programme rather than incidental overlap.
Filing is dispersed across universities, corporates and individuals
The corpus mixes Chinese university filers, European industrial names, and individual inventors with no assignee approaching a dominant share, consistent with a technology still being explored across multiple application niches rather than consolidated around one commercial standard.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Nuovo Pignone Tecnologie S.r.l. | 2 | — |
| Nanjing Tech University | 2 | — |
| Norsk Hydro | 0 | — |
| JFE Steel Corporation | 0 | — |
| Eindhoven University of Technology | 0 | — |
| Tecnalia Research & Innovation | 0 | — |
| Tianjin Polytechnic University | 0 | -100% |
| Dalian Huaxinyuan Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether you are scoping freedom-to-operate, screening for licensing targets, or looking for open claim space.
Run a freedom-to-operate check on B01D claims
With 128 of 145 records touching separation-process classifications, any new membrane module or geometry should be checked against this denser prior art before catalyst-side or application-side novelty is assessed.
Explore in EurekaWatch the recent-momentum filers, not the most-cited ones
Citation leaders like US6237339B1 anchor the historical art, but current activity has moved to newer filers such as Nanjing Tech University; monitoring alerts should track filing behaviour, not just citation rank.
Set up monitoring in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches for a first-filer position
Combustion-integrated and bioreactor-coupled applications show low record counts (10 and 6 respectively) relative to the core separation classes, suggesting room for a narrowly drafted first claim.
Draft a claim strategy in EurekaCommon questions on membrane reactor purification patents
A membrane reactor combines a chemical reaction and a selective separation step in one unit, most often to pull a target product such as hydrogen out of the reaction mixture as it forms rather than purifying it afterward in a separate step. This in-situ removal can shift reaction equilibrium toward higher conversion while simultaneously delivering a purer product stream. In this patent corpus, the dominant application is hydrogen purification, tracked under IPC C01B, alongside broader separation-process claims under B01D.
No single assignee dominates this 145-family corpus; filing is spread across Chinese universities, European industrial and research organisations, and individual inventors. Recent-year activity has shifted toward newer filers such as Nanjing Tech University and Nuovo Pignone Tecnologie, while historically well-cited names show little to no filing in the most recent tracked year. A freedom-to-operate review should therefore weight recent filing behaviour alongside citation-based rankings, since the two tell different stories.
Yes, based on the trend data: filings rose from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 26 in 2022 and have not returned to that level in the years since. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent year's count is always an undercount, but the multi-year pattern already visible before that lag applies still points to a plateau rather than acceleration. This suggests the core architectural approaches in this space are largely staked out, with newer filings more likely to be incremental.
The United States and China lead as receiving offices, with 35 and 28 filings respectively, ahead of Europe (23), WIPO/PCT filings (17), Australia (8) and Japan (8). Any clearance search or competitive filing strategy for membrane reactor purification technology should prioritise these two jurisdictions first, since enforcement exposure concentrates there. The WIPO figure also indicates a meaningful share of filers are pursuing multi-jurisdiction protection via PCT rather than filing nationally in a single country.
US9162905B2, assigned to Tianjin Polytechnic University, claims an antifouling electrocatalytic composite membrane built on a conductive or conductively-coated porous substrate with a catalytic coating in and on its pores, used within a membrane reactor driven by trans-membrane pressure. Its scope is centred on the composite-membrane construction and the electrocatalytic activity enhancement, not on membrane reactor purification generally. Anyone working with a different membrane construction, such as a purely polymeric or ceramic membrane without electrocatalytic coating, is unlikely to fall within its core claims, but a full claim-chart comparison is advisable before committing to a similar composite-membrane design.
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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.