Photobioreactor Gas Transfer Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
- 26.9% concentration at the top. The five most active filers together hold 104 of the 387 records in scope, but the remaining share is spread across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
- Filing grew 47% from 2021 to 2024. That is the last year the trend can be read as complete, since publication lags filing by roughly 18 months and 2025-2026 counts are still filling in.
- C12M dominates, C12N is close behind. 82.4% of records sit in bioreactor apparatus classes and 43.7% also carry a microorganism/genetic-engineering class, showing gas transfer claims are usually bundled with biology claims, not filed alone.
Filing growth compares 2021 (15 records) with 2024 (22) — 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 387 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 387 published records at the intersection of photobioreactor systems and gas-transfer mechanics: gas holdup, bubble diameter, superficial velocity, oxygen gradient, transfer coefficient and exhaust-gas handling, filed under C12M1/00, C12M1/42 and C12N1/12. The scope spans 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, so it captures both the mature flue-gas mitigation designs and the more recent tubular and floating reactor configurations.
Because publication trails filing by roughly a year and a half, the most recent one to two years in any trend line will look thinner than the underlying filing activity actually was. Reading the 2024 figure as the last complete year, rather than the 2025-2026 tail, gives a fairer sense of momentum.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 387 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how it splits across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry several classes, the class shares add up to more than the record total.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings rose from 10 in 2017 to a peak of 24 in 2022, then grew 47% from 15 in 2021 to 22 in 2024 — the last year with a reasonably complete publication record. The 2025 and 2026 figures, including the 4 recorded so far in 2026, understate actual filing activity because of the publication lag.
IPC subclass composition
C12M (bioreactors and enzyme apparatus) covers 82.4% of the 387 records, confirming this is fundamentally an apparatus-claims field. C12N (microorganisms, genetic engineering) appears in 43.7%, B01D (separation processes) in 19.1% and A01G (horticulture) in 14.0% — each of these is a candidate axis for combination claims that sit outside the core apparatus space.
Shares are the percentage of the 387 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Photobioreactor Gas Transfer with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about photobioreactor gas transfer and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records in this space
Floating horizontal tubular photobioreactor system with integrated manifolds
This invention relates to a floating horizontal tubular photobioreactor system comprising a photosynthetically active area made of flexible tubes connected to rigid manifolds with an integrated system for mixing, aeration and degassing. This invention further relates to methods of using the floating photobioreactor system.Filed as US20190194587A1, this record bundles the mixing, aeration and degassing functions into a single manifold structure rather than treating gas transfer as a bolt-on subsystem — a pattern worth checking against before drafting new tubular-reactor claims.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20050239182A1 | Synthetic and biologically-derived products produced using biomass produced by photobioreactors configured fo… | 260 |
| 2 | US20050260553A1 | Photobioreactor and process for biomass production and mitigation of pollutants in flue gases | 255 |
| 3 | US20110092726A1 | System for cultivation and processing of microorganisms, processing of products therefrom, and processing in … | 232 |
| 4 | US20170341942A1 | Methods and systems for large scale carbon dioxide utilization from lake KIVU via a co2 industrial utilizatio… | 207 |
| 5 | US20090011492A1 | Photobioreactor Cell Culture Systems, Methods for Preconditioning Photosynthetic Organisms, and Cultures of P… | 167 |
| 6 | US20080293132A1 | High Density Bioreactor System, Devices, and Methods | 148 |
| 7 | US20090130706A1 | Photobioreactor systems positioned on bodies of water | 144 |
| 8 | WO2006020177A1 | Photobioreactor cell culture systems, methods for preconditioning photosynthetic organisms, and cultures of p… | 103 |
| 9 | US20080153080A1 | Closed photobioreactor system for continued daily in situ production, separation, collection, and removal of … | 87 |
| 10 | US20120208254A1 | Biorefinery system, components therefor, methods of use, and products derived therefrom | 85 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings; treat this table as a map of influence on later filers, not a ranking of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-outs from the filing and citation data that matter for deciding where to file next.
Leadership is real but not dominant
The leading assignee holds 35 records and the top five together hold 104, or 26.9% of the 387 records in scope. That leaves nearly three-quarters of the field spread across a long tail, including single-filing entrants — a structure that rewards a freedom-to-operate search over assuming one player controls the space.
Activity is still building, not cooling
Filings grew from 15 in 2021 to 22 in 2024, a 47% rise over that span, with a peak of 24 already reached in 2022. The apparent dip in 2025-2026 reflects the roughly 18-month gap between filing and publication rather than a real slowdown.
Apparatus claims anchor the field
C12M bioreactor and enzyme apparatus claims appear in 82.4% of the 387 records, with C12N microorganism claims layered on top in 43.7% of cases. Separation (B01D, 19.1%) and horticulture (A01G, 14.0%) classes appear far less often, marking them as secondary but not saturated claim territory.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to photobioreactor gas transfer, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The assignee ranking returned by the data endpoint covers 100 companies, counted in records — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, but the full ranked list the dataset provides. Recent-year momentum across these names is thin: most of the historically active filers show no filings in the latest recorded year, which is consistent with the publication lag rather than a sign the field has gone quiet.
A single leader well ahead of the pack
The top-ranked assignee holds 35 records, noticeably more than the fifth-place filer's 14 and the tenth-place filer's 10. That gap suggests an early-mover advantage in flue-gas-linked photobioreactor design that later entrants have not closed.
The next five add less than the first five
Combined, the top ten hold 162 records, or 41.9% of the 387 in scope — meaning positions six through ten add only 58 records to the leaders' 104. Competitive pressure in this band looks more diffuse than concentrated.
Most of the field is unconsolidated
With 41.9% of records held by the ten most active filers, the remainder sits with a long tail of smaller and single-filing entrants. That structure favours new claims in adjacent apparatus configurations over head-on challenges to the leader's core designs.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Brisa Int LLC | 1 | — |
| Heliae Development LLC | 0 | — |
| Microphyt | 0 | — |
| Pond Biofuels Inc | 0 | — |
| Greenfuel Technologies Corp | 0 | — |
| Algae Systems LLC | 0 | — |
| Neste Oyj | 0 | -100% |
| PHYCO2 LLC | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The filing and citation data point to specific next steps for teams deciding where to file or where to watch.
Check freedom to operate on manifold-integrated designs
The most-cited records concentrate on flue-gas mitigation and integrated manifold structures. Any new tubular or floating reactor design should be checked against this cluster before drafting claims.
Run a freedom-to-operate searchWatch the long tail for consolidation
With 58.1% of records outside the top ten filers, smaller entrants and single-filing organisations are the group most likely to be acquired or to exit — worth tracking for licensing opportunities.
Track assignee activityExplore the under-claimed branches
F23J combustion-residue integration and C02F wastewater coupling each sit below 12% of records, suggesting room for combination claims that pair gas transfer with these adjacent processes.
Explore white space with EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
One assignee leads the ranked list with 35 records, well ahead of the fifth-place filer at 14 and the tenth-place filer at 10. The top five filers together account for 104 of the 387 records in scope, or 26.9%, which means leadership is real but far from a monopoly. The remaining 73.1% of records are spread across a long tail of smaller and single-filing entrants, so a freedom-to-operate review should not assume one company controls the space.
Yes, based on the last fully complete filing years: activity rose from 15 records in 2021 to 22 in 2024, a 47% increase, with a peak of 24 filings already reached in 2022. Figures for 2025 and 2026 look lower, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than declining interest. Anyone reading a recent dip in this field should discount the last one to two years accordingly.
The dominant class is C12M, covering bioreactors and enzyme apparatus, which appears in 82.4% of the 387 records in scope. C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering) appears in 43.7% of records, often layered on top of C12M apparatus claims. Smaller shares fall under B01D separation processes (19.1%), A01G horticulture (14.0%), C12P fermentation (12.4%), and C02F wastewater treatment (11.6%), with F23J combustion-residue handling at just 3.9% — one of the more open branches.
US20190194587A1 describes a floating horizontal tubular photobioreactor with flexible tubes connected to rigid manifolds that integrate mixing, aeration and degassing in one structure. It does not block every tubular photobioreactor design, but it does occupy the specific combination of floating deployment plus integrated manifold-based gas handling. Designs that separate the gas-transfer function from the manifold, or that use a fixed rather than floating structure, have more room to differentiate from this filing.
The IPC composition shows F23J (combustion residue and flue handling) at only 3.9% of records and C02F (wastewater treatment) at 11.6%, both well below the 82.4% dominated by core C12M apparatus claims. That gap suggests under-claimed combination opportunities pairing gas transfer hardware with residue handling or wastewater co-treatment. The long tail of filers outside the top ten, holding 58.1% of records collectively, further indicates that no single company has locked down these adjacent branches.
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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.