PET Glycolysis Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- 27.4% sits with a handful of filers. The top 5 assignees combined account for 119 of 434 records in scope, with a single leader holding 39 — but the remaining 315 records are spread thin.
- Filing kept climbing through the last complete year. 2021 to 2024 filings rose 33% (33 to 44 records), with a peak of 70 records in 2022, even as 2025-2026 figures are still filling in due to publication lag.
- Colour removal and monomer purification pull in far fewer classes than the core chemistry. Only 26 records touch microorganism-based routes (C12N) and 14 touch fermentation synthesis (C12P), against 265 in polymer processing (C08J).
Filing growth compares 2021 (33 records) with 2024 (44) — 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 434 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
PET glycolysis and depolymerization patents describe how post-consumer or industrial PET is chemically broken down and reformed into virgin-quality monomer, rather than simply melted and re-extruded. The search scope here is deliberately narrow: it requires both a depolymerization or glycolysis route and a named process control — catalyst selection, reaction temperature, monomer purification, colour removal, monomer yield, or recycled content — so the 434 records in scope are working patents on process mechanics, not general recycling filings.
That scoping matters for competitive reading. A record here is making a specific claim about how the chemistry is controlled, which is exactly where freedom-to-operate risk and design-around opportunity both concentrate.
Filing trend and technology mix
The 434 records in scope span 2015 through the partial 2026 cut-off, filed across a small set of receiving offices dominated by the US, EPO and WIPO/PCT routes, with India, Austria and Germany forming a secondary tier.
Filing trend: steady growth through the last complete year
Filings rose from 17 in 2017 to a peak of 70 in 2022, then continued at a high plateau; the 2021-to-2024 span shows a 33% increase (33 to 44 records). 2025 and 2026 figures read low only because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months — they are not evidence of a slowdown.
Technology composition: process chemistry dominates, biological routes are a minority
C08J (polymer processing & solutions) appears in 61.1% of the 434 records and C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds) in 42.2%, confirming this is chiefly a chemical-process field. Microbial and enzymatic routes (C12N, C12P) together touch under a tenth of records, marking biological depolymerization as a much smaller, more open sub-area.
Shares are the percentage of the 434 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on PET Glycolysis and Depolymerization with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about pet glycolysis and depolymerization and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited filings
Efficient depolymerization method of polymers comprising ester functional group, and purification method thereof (US20230312451A1)
Filed by Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, this filing covers a depolymerization method for ester-functional polymers — including PET carrying pigments or dyes — that adds a formula-1 additive compound to enable depolymerization at lower temperatures while increasing target-product yield. It also claims a purification method for separating foreign substances, including pigments and dyes, from the resulting monomer.Published 2023-10-05.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7462649B2 | Method for recycling pet bottle | 98 |
| 2 | US20150105532A1 | Methods and materials for depolymerizing polyesters | 92 |
| 3 | US20170008826A1 | Polyethylene terephthalate depolymerization | 63 |
| 4 | US20070208160A1 | Process for making polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | 54 |
| 5 | US9255194B2 | Methods and materials for depolymerizing polyesters | 52 |
| 6 | WO2007089600A1 | Process for making polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | 42 |
| 7 | WO2017007965A1 | Polyethylene terephthalate depolymerization | 37 |
| 8 | US20050004390A1 | Method for recycling pet bottle | 37 |
| 9 | WO2017087752A1 | Chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate by microwave irradiation | 34 |
| 10 | US20070299150A1 | Method for recycling pet bottle | 33 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once the records are grouped by assignee, year and IPC class.
A leader plus a long tail
One assignee holds 39 records outright, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 15. But the top 10 combined reach only 43.1% of the 434 records in scope, meaning the majority of filings sit outside any concentrated cluster — useful territory for a new entrant to search for gaps rather than assume blocked ground.
Growth held through the last complete year
Filings climbed from 33 records in 2021 to 44 in 2024, after peaking at 70 in the single year 2022. The apparent dip after 2024 is a publication-lag artefact, not a real slowdown — treat only 2024 and earlier as settled data.
Chemistry-first, biology a minority
The field is anchored in polymer processing and acyclic/carbocyclic chemistry (C08J, C07C), with catalytic processes (B01J) present in 14.1% of records. Microorganism- and fermentation-based depolymerization (C12N, C12P) sit at 6.0% and 3.2% respectively — a much smaller, comparatively open branch.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to pet glycolysis and depolymerization, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is active, and where the field is still open
The ranking behind this page covers 100 companies, counted by patent family; it is the full ranking the data endpoint returns, not a curated top list.
A single assignee well ahead of the field
The leading assignee holds 39 records, more than double the fifth-place holder's 15. That gap suggests a sustained, multi-year filing programme rather than a single burst of activity around one process variant.
A meaningful but not dominant top 10
The top 10 assignees combined reach 43.1% of the 434 records in scope, leaving the majority of filings spread across the other 90 ranked companies. Chemical companies, research institutes and specialist recyclers all appear in this tier, rather than one segment dominating.
US, EPO and PCT carry most of the volume
The United States (104), EPO (84) and WIPO/PCT (72) routes carry the bulk of filing activity, with India (38) as a notable secondary jurisdiction and Austria (18) and Germany (16) rounding out the picture.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Loop Industries, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Eastman Chemical Company | 0 | — |
| Ester Industries Ltd. | 0 | — |
| PREMIRR PLASTICS INC | 0 | — |
| SHPP Global Technologies B.V. | 0 | — |
| The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 0 | — |
| Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 0 | — |
| Allnex Belgium SA | 0 | — |
Where to take this
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether you are scouting freedom-to-operate risk or looking for a filing gap.
Check the colour-removal and purification claims closely
Monomer purification and colour removal are named search terms in this dataset but appear in a minority of the 434 records relative to core polymer-processing claims, making this a narrower space to map precisely before filing.
Explore purification claims in EurekaWatch the biological-route branch
C12N and C12P classes cover a small fraction of records (6.0% and 3.2% respectively), well below the chemical-process classes, suggesting enzymatic and fermentation-based depolymerization routes remain comparatively open.
Map the biological-route landscape in EurekaTrack the leader's filing cadence
With one assignee holding 39 of 434 records, understanding that filer's claim scope and recent activity is a reasonable first step before committing to a design direction in this space.
Pull the leader's full portfolio in EurekaCommon questions on PET glycolysis and depolymerization patents
PET glycolysis is a chemical depolymerization route that breaks polyethylene terephthalate down using glycol (typically ethylene glycol) to yield monomers such as BHET, rather than mechanically melting and re-extruding the plastic. Because it breaks the polymer chain, it can remove colour, additives and contaminants that mechanical recycling cannot, producing monomer suitable for virgin-quality resin. This dataset captures 434 patent records that combine a glycolysis or depolymerization route with a specific process control such as catalyst selection or monomer purification, reflecting how commercially oriented this sub-field has become.
Filing activity is concentrated at the top but not dominated by a single company: the leading assignee holds 39 of the 434 records in scope, and the top 5 combined account for 27.4% of all records. Beyond the top 10, which reach 43.1% of records, filings spread across roughly ninety further companies and institutes in the ranking, including chemical manufacturers, research institutes and specialist recycling firms. This mix suggests the field has not consolidated around one dominant IP holder.
Yes, based on the last complete filing years: records rose from 33 in 2021 to 44 in 2024, a 33% increase, with a peak of 70 records in the single year 2022. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than a real decline. Anyone tracking this space should treat 2024 as the most recent reliable data point.
The clearest under-claimed branches are biological routes: microorganism-based depolymerization (C12N) appears in only 6.0% of the 434 records, and fermentation-based monomer synthesis (C12P) in just 3.2%, against 61.1% for general polymer processing claims. Colour removal for mixed-dye PET streams and recycled-content certification tie-ins also show fewer records relative to the core catalytic chemistry. These lower-density branches are worth checking closely for freedom-to-operate before assuming the space is occupied.
A representative filing in this dataset, US20230312451A1 from Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, claims a depolymerization method for ester-functional polymers that adds a specific additive compound to enable lower-temperature processing and higher monomer yield, plus a purification method for removing pigments and dyes from the resulting monomer. Claims of this type typically combine a reaction-condition element (temperature, additive) with a downstream purification or colour-removal step, which is a common structure across this dataset's higher-value filings. Reviewing both halves of such claims matters, since a design-around may only need to avoid one of the two elements.
Research PET Glycolysis and Depolymerization in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole pet glycolysis and depolymerization corpus yourself, in your own scope.
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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.