Polyhydroxyalkanoate Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- One filer holds 27 of the 33 records in scope, with the remaining four ranked assignees each holding a handful — a long tail rather than a second cluster of scale.
- 97.0% of the 33 records sit in C12P (fermentation & enzymatic synthesis), while downstream polymer processing (C08J, 12.1%) and bioreactor apparatus (C12M, 12.1%) carry a fraction of that claim density.
- Filing held flat at 4 a year from 2021 to 2024 (0% change), with 2025 and 2026 filings still filling in under the usual 18-month publication lag.
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (4) — 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.
What this landscape covers
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are microbially produced biodegradable polyesters, and the patent activity in this dataset centres on how they are made and pulled out of the cell rather than on end-use applications. The search string isolates records that mention carbon source cost, intracellular accumulation, extraction solvent, molecular weight control, downstream recovery or productivity per litre in title or claims — the operational levers that determine whether a PHA process is commercially viable, not just biologically possible.
The 33 records in scope span 2015 through the 2026 cut-off, filed through United States, WIPO, European and Canadian receiving offices. The picture that emerges is a field defined by fermentation-stage claims, with recovery and processing steps comparatively open.
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
Filing trend and technology composition
The trend line and class breakdown below are drawn from the same 33-record set used throughout this page.
Flat filing since 2021
Filings peaked at 4 in 2018, dropped, then returned to 4 a year from 2021 through 2024 — a 0% change over that span. 2025 and 2026 show fewer published records, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication, not a real slowdown.
Fermentation dominates the claim map
C12P (fermentation & enzymatic synthesis) appears in 97.0% of the 33 records, far ahead of C12N (microorganisms & genetic engineering, 24.2%) and C08G (condensation polymers, 21.2%). C08J (polymer processing) and C12M (bioreactor apparatus) each sit at 12.1%, and A61K (medicinal preparations) appears once.
Shares are the percentage of the 33 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production and Recovery with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about polyhydroxyalkanoate production and recovery and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this set
US9040267B2 — Polyhydroxyalkanoate production method
Provided are processes for the production and high efficiency processing of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from carbon sources comprising carbon-containing gases or materials.Filed by Newlight Technologies, granted 2015-05-26. Notable for basing the carbon feedstock on gas-phase or gas-derived carbon sources rather than sugar feedstocks.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20130337516A1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production method | 72 |
| 2 | US9085784B1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production methods and materials and microorganisms used in same | 30 |
| 3 | WO2012122343A2 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production method | 29 |
| 4 | US20150247172A1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production method | 23 |
| 5 | US20150140621A1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production and related processes | 22 |
| 6 | US9040267B2 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production method | 22 |
| 7 | US20150275241A1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production methods and materials and microorganisms used in same | 20 |
| 8 | US20200347417A1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production methods and materials and microorganisms used in same | 17 |
| 9 | WO2019119157A1 | Method for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from organic waste | 15 |
| 10 | US9725744B2 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate production methods and materials and microorganisms used in same | 15 |
Citation counts reflect a searched corpus and skew toward older filings; treat them as a signal of influence on later filers, not of current commercial weight.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the data means for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the records are grouped by assignee, class and filing year.
One filer, a long tail behind it
The ranked leaders list runs to five assignees, with the leader holding 27 records and the fifth-ranked holding 2. This is not a crowded field of comparable competitors — it is one large portfolio surrounded by small, single-digit filers.
Fermentation is the occupied ground
Nearly every record in scope carries a C12P classification, meaning fermentation and enzymatic synthesis claims are dense and well-mapped. High density here means the claim space is occupied, not that the underlying biology is settled.
Flat, not falling
Filing count held at 4 in both 2021 and 2024. Read the tail years with the publication lag in mind: 2025–2026 will fill in as pending applications publish, so a drop in those years is not evidence of retreat from the space.
Recovery and processing trail fermentation
C08J (polymer processing & solutions) and C12M (bioreactor apparatus) each sit at 12.1% of records, well below the fermentation share. Extraction solvent choice and downstream recovery steps are named in the search scope but thinly claimed relative to upstream biology.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to polyhydroxyalkanoate production and recovery, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground, and where it thins out
The assignee ranking here is short: five companies, not a top-50 or top-100 cut. That shape itself is informative.
Newlight Technologies holds the bulk of the portfolio
The leading assignee accounts for the large majority of records in this ranking, with gas-carbon-source fermentation and high-efficiency processing as its core claim territory, as reflected in the representative filing above.
Named-inventor filers round out the ranking
Several entries in the ranking are individual named filers rather than corporations, each holding a small number of records and co-filing with the leading assignee on several of them.
A second corporate name appears, at smaller scale
Genecis Bioindustries appears in the ranking alongside the individual filers, giving the field a second corporate name distinct from the dominant portfolio, though at a much smaller filing count.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Newlight Technologies, Inc. | 0 | — |
| HERREMA MARKUS | 0 | — |
| GENECIS BIOIND INC | 0 | — |
| KIMMEL KENTON | 0 | — |
| CREELMAN EVAN | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with one dominant portfolio and several thin, specific gaps around it.
Check freedom-to-operate on the fermentation core
Given how densely C12P is claimed by the leading assignee, any new fermentation-route filing should be checked against that portfolio's specific claim language before drafting.
Explore fermentation claims in EurekaLook at recovery and processing claims separately
C08J and C12M sit well below the fermentation share, suggesting downstream recovery and bioreactor design claims are less crowded and worth a targeted search of their own.
Run a white-space search in EurekaTrack the small corporate entrants
Genecis Bioindustries' presence in the ranking, distinct from the individual filers, is worth monitoring for follow-on filings as the field's tail develops.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaCommon questions on PHA production patents
In this 33-record dataset, one assignee — Newlight Technologies — holds 27 of the records, far ahead of the next four ranked assignees, one of which is Genecis Bioindustries and the rest individual named filers holding small counts each. This is a concentrated portfolio rather than a field of comparable competitors. Anyone evaluating freedom to operate in PHA production should start by reviewing that leading portfolio's specific claims rather than assuming a fragmented landscape.
Fermentation and enzymatic synthesis claims, classified under IPC C12P, appear in 97.0% of the 33 records in scope — nearly every filing touches this ground. Microorganism and genetic engineering claims (C12N) and condensation polymer claims (C08G) follow at lower shares. Downstream steps like polymer processing and bioreactor apparatus design are present but much less densely claimed, at 12.1% each.
Filing count held flat at 4 per year between 2021 and 2024, a 0% change over that span, after peaking at 4 in 2018 as well. Records from 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so those years are still filling in and should not be read as a decline. The honest read is stability rather than growth or contraction through the last complete filing year.
US9040267B2, assigned to Newlight Technologies and granted in 2015, covers processes for producing and efficiently processing polyhydroxyalkanoates from carbon sources that include carbon-containing gases or materials. Its significance in this dataset comes from its position among the most-cited records and its gas-phase carbon feedstock approach, which distinguishes it from sugar-fermentation routes. Anyone working with gas-derived carbon feedstocks for PHA should review this filing's specific claim scope directly rather than relying on the abstract.
Relative to the 97.0% fermentation share, downstream areas — extraction solvent selection, molecular weight control, and continuous bioreactor design — sit at 12.1% or less of the 33 records, indicating thinner claim coverage. Mixed-culture approaches to carbon-source cost reduction and gas-phase feedstock conditioning also show limited dedicated claims. These are reasonable areas to investigate for new filings, though a targeted freedom-to-operate search of the leading assignee's specific claims is still advisable before drafting.
Research Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production and Recovery in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole polyhydroxyalkanoate production and recovery corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.