Reverse Osmosis Desalination Disinfection Patent Snapshot
The patent corpus for reverse osmosis desalination disinfection is very small and highly fragmented, with no single applicant commanding a dominant position. Activity peaked around 2019–2022 and annual volume has eased since, leaving the field in a declining phase with limited consolidation.
A fragmented, early-stage field with no dominant player
The corpus contains 6 patent families, split across fifteen applicants — none holding more than 2 patent records. Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group and Wuhan Hualin Technology each lead with 2 patent records, while every other applicant holds exactly 1.
The top five filers account for 41% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, indicating moderate concentration at the top given the very small overall corpus, but no single entity has established a commanding position.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 2 | Wuhan Hualin Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 3 | MEGACIVIC | 1 | |
| 4 | Zhejiang Zhimei Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 5 | ZHENGZHOU UNIV MULTI-FUNTIONAL DESIGN & RES ACAD C… | 1 | |
| 6 | BEIJING CYCLE COLUMBUS ENVIRONMENTAL SCI & TECH | 1 | |
| 7 | Suzhou Yisibei Environmental Protection Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 8 | Tianjin Aijie Environmental Protection Technology Engineering Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | KOREA INST OF CIVIL ENG & BUILDING TECH | 1 | |
| 10 | CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORP | 1 | |
| 11 | Hubei Junji Water Treatment Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 12 | Beijing Jindayu Environment Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 1 | |
| 14 | Sinopec Qilu Company | 1 | |
| 15 | GUANG DONG BRIGHT STAR LIGHT & ELECTRICITY CO LTD | 1 |
The tie at the top between an industrial mining group and a specialty environmental-tech firm suggests the field is being explored opportunistically across sectors rather than being driven by dedicated desalination or water-treatment leaders.
The most recent filing periods should be treated with caution due to standard publication lag; apparent gaps in 2023 and 2026 likely understate actual activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sporadic annual activity anchored in water and wastewater treatment
Filing activity has been sparse and irregular since 2019, and the technology mix is heavily concentrated in a single IPC class. The two charts together reveal both the modest scale of the field and the narrow technical focus of its practitioners.
Annual filing trend
Filings first appeared in 2019 and reached a modest plateau of one filing per year through 2022, before easing. The years 2023 and 2026 show zero recorded filings, but publication lag means the most recent periods are likely undercounted. The overall window growth is negative at -33%, consistent with a field in decline relative to its 2019–2022 active period.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) is visible in the patent-record mix with 17 records, dwarfing B01D (Separation processes, including filtration) at 3 records, while B01J (Chemical/physical processes and catalysis) and C01D (Alkali-metal compounds) each contribute just 1 record. This concentration signals that applicants are framing innovations primarily as treatment-process inventions rather than membrane-engineering or chemical-synthesis advances.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Process for inhibiting scale formation with UV light
A process for inhibiting formation of calcium scale in a reverse osmosis desalination membrane during desalination involving desalinating an aqueous salt solution comprising water, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate with the reverse osmosis desalination membrane, while concurrently irradiating the aqueous salt solution with a UV light… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种腈纶废水的处理工艺 | 33 |
| 2 | 煤化工废水处理工艺 | 26 |
| 3 | Process for inhibiting scale formation with UV light | 8 |
| 4 | Desalination plant powered by renewable energy | 7 |
| 5 | 一种合晶硅材料生产废水资源化利用处理工艺 | 4 |
| 6 | 反渗透脱盐多级预处理的垃圾渗滤液回用设备 | 4 |
| 7 | PVC母液回用处理装置及工艺 | 3 |
| 8 | 深井水处理工艺 | 3 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure implies for R&D investment
Despite the small corpus size, the field’s structure offers actionable signals on timing, concentration, collaboration norms, and geographic exposure for any entrant weighing investment.
Declining phase: annual volume has eased from its peak
The lifecycle is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the peak reached around 2019–2022. The recent-window growth stands at -33%. This does not necessarily mean the technology is exhausted — in a corpus this small, a single new filing program could reset the trend — but there is no evidence of a fresh acceleration wave.
Lifecycle: DeclineHighly fragmented with a shallow top tier
The top five filers account for 41% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, but in absolute terms that means only a handful of patent records separate the leader from the rest of the field. No applicant has built a portfolio large enough to create meaningful freedom-to-operate barriers. This low concentration is an opening for a focused entrant with even a moderate filing program.
Low barriersNo co-filing relationships observed
Evidence pending: the collaboration dataset contains no recorded co-applicant pairings in this corpus. The absence of joint filings may reflect the early and fragmented state of the field, where applicants are working independently rather than through research consortia or industry partnerships. Any entrant establishing a collaborative filing program would immediately stand out.
No co-filers detectedChina is visible in; limited international coverage
China accounts for 13 of the patent records across all jurisdictions, with Germany, South Korea, the United States, and WIPO (PCT) each contributing just 1 record. This geographic skew means IP coverage outside China is minimal, creating potential freedom to operate in European and North American markets for applicants who file internationally.
China-centricGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group
Holds 2 patent records, with technology focus split between C02F 1 and C02F 9 — both within water and wastewater treatment. Its presence as a coal-mining conglomerate rather than a water-tech specialist suggests this is an industrial effluent and process-water application rather than municipal desalination. Momentum data is not separately listed for this applicant in the recent-period analysis.
patent records: 2Wuhan Hualin Technology
Also holds 2 patent records, likewise concentrated in C02F 1 and C02F 9. Its technology profile is indistinguishable from the co-leader at the class level, suggesting direct overlap and potential competitive tension on process claims. Momentum data is not separately listed for this applicant in the recent-period window.
patent records: 2Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 6 patent families in scope. Activity has been sparse and irregular, with no single year producing more than one filing in the recorded trend data.
Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group and Wuhan Hualin Technology each hold 2 patent records, making them co-leaders. All other applicants in the ranked list hold exactly 1 patent record each.
China leads with 13 patent records across all jurisdictions. Germany, South Korea, the United States, and WIPO (PCT) each account for 1 patent record, indicating very limited international coverage outside China.
C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) is visible in with 17 patent records. B01D (Separation processes and filtration) is a distant second at 3 records, while B01J and C01D each account for 1 record.
The lifecycle is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the peak reached in the 2019–2022 period. The recent-window growth rate stands at -33%. Note that the most recent filing periods are subject to publication lag and may undercount actual activity.
No co-applicant relationships have been detected in the available evidence. All filers appear to be operating independently, with no recorded joint filings between companies, universities, or research institutes in this corpus.
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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.