Zeolite Catalyst QC Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- Filing has cooled since a 2017 peak of 257 families, with 2026 activity still tracking at a fraction of that level even before the reporting lag is accounted for.
- B01J dominates the IPC mix at 4,119 of 4,149 records, but C01B, C07C and C10G co-occur heavily, showing QC claims are written jointly with synthesis and refining chemistry rather than standing alone.
- Only ten co-assignee pairs exist across the whole set, and the strongest link is an internal one — a parent filing alongside its own research institute — rather than cross-company collaboration.
Filing growth compares 2021 (211 records) with 2024 (97) — 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 4,149 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Zeolite catalyst quality control sits at the intersection of materials characterization and process chemistry: claims here cover activity screening, batch consistency and crystallinity QC methods applied to zeolite and molecular sieve catalysts, indexed against the core catalysis classification B01J29, the characterization classification G01N23, and the catalyst-preparation classification B01J37. The dataset spans 4,149 published families filed between 2015 and mid-2026.
Most of these filings are not pure QC method patents in isolation. They are catalyst or process patents that build a characterization or screening step into a broader synthesis, modification or refining claim, which is why the IPC composition below shows heavy overlap with hydrocarbon processing and organic chemistry classes rather than a narrow characterization silo.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 4,149-family set: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the claims actually sit in.
A peak in 2017, then a flat-to-declining decade
Filings ran at 257 families in 2017, the peak of the period, and by the midpoint year of 2022 had already eased to 217. The count for 2026 sits at 13, but that figure is a partial year and understated by the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication — treat the last one to two years of any trend line as a floor, not a ceiling.
B01J anchors the field; C01B, C07C and C10G ride alongside
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) appears in all but 30 of the 4,149 records, confirming this is fundamentally a catalysis dataset. C01B (inorganic compounds, 1,788), C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds, 1,289) and C10G (hydrocarbon oil refining, 1,229) each cover well over a quarter of the set, meaning most QC claims are drafted inside a synthesis or refining patent rather than filed as a standalone characterization method. F01N (exhaust treatment, 150) is the smallest slice, marking emissions-catalyst QC as a minor but present branch.
Shares are the percentage of the 4,149 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Zeolite Catalyst Quality Control with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about zeolite catalyst quality control and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records and a recent filing
Preparation of modified zeolite catalyst, and modified zeolite catalyst and gas purification method using same
Provided are the preparation of a modified zeolite catalyst, a modified zeolite catalyst and the gas purification method using the same. The preparation is implemented by using a method comprising: mixing a metal salt solution with zeolite to form a non-Newtonian fluid mixture, drying the mixture using microwaves, and finally calcining same, so as to obtain a zeolite catalyst. In the preparation method, microwaves are used to dry the mixture of the metal salt solution and the zeolite, the drying time is short, and the evaporation of water is quick, thereby maintaining the state of metal cations in a zeolite framework, and preventing catalyst particles (metal clusters) from being deintercalatFiled by University of Science and Technology Beijing, published 2026-04-30 — illustrates a current filing strategy of tying a specific drying/calcining process step to catalyst structural stability claims.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US4503023A | Silicon substituted zeolite compositions and process for preparing same | 529 |
| 2 | US5053373A | Zeolite SSZ-32 | 374 |
| 3 | US3911041A | Conversion of methanol and dimethyl ether | 318 |
| 4 | US4297328A | Three-way catalytic process for gaseous streams | 299 |
| 5 | US5252527A | Zeolite SSZ-32 | 280 |
| 6 | US3972832A | Phosphorus-containing zeolite catalyst | 256 |
| 7 | US5601798A | Process for preparing zeolite Y with increased mesopore volume | 248 |
| 8 | US5158665A | Synthesis of a crystalline silicoaluminophosphate | 214 |
| 9 | US4861743A | Process for the production of molecular sieves | 195 |
| 10 | US4873067A | Zeolite ZSM-57 | 194 |
Citation counts accumulate over time and favour older filings; read them as markers of foundational influence, not of what matters today.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three signals worth weighing before drafting into this space.
Volume has cooled from its 2017 high
The peak year of 257 families in 2017 has not been matched since, and the midpoint year of 2022 (217) was already below it. A declining trend does not mean the underlying chemistry is settled — dense early filing can simply mean the obvious claim space is occupied and later entrants must draft narrower.
QC claims are rarely filed alone
Nearly every record in this set carries the core catalysis classification, but large overlaps with C01B, C07C and C10G show that characterization and screening steps are almost always bundled into a synthesis or refining patent rather than standing as an independent method claim.
Collaboration is thin and mostly internal
Only ten co-assignee pairs exist across the whole dataset. The strongest is a domestic parent-and-institute pair rather than a cross-company alliance, and the next strongest pairs a national oil company with a university partner — suggesting most work here is done in-house rather than through joint filing.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to zeolite catalyst quality control, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is active, and where the gaps sit
Recent-year filing counts are low across the board, and several long-time assignees show negative year-over-year momentum rather than growth.
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) holds steady rather than growing
Flat year-over-year momentum at the top of the ranking, alongside a strong internal co-filing link to its own research institute, points to a assignee consolidating existing claim positions rather than expanding into new sub-areas.
Two established filers are pulling back sharply
Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) both show steep year-over-year declines in filing count even as they remain present in the ranking, a pattern more consistent with a mature portfolio than with retreat from the field.
A long tail of low-volume filers
W.R. Grace & Co. and BASF Corporation each show a single latest-year filing, typical of the long tail beneath the handful of high-volume incumbents — worth watching for follow-on filings rather than treating as settled competitors.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) | 3 | 0% |
| Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | 1 | -86% |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) | 1 | -75% |
| W.R. Grace & Co. | 1 | — |
| BASF Corporation | 1 | 0% |
| ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | 0 | — |
| UOP LLC | 0 | -100% |
| ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with occupied core claim space and thinner activity at its edges. Two directions follow from that.
Map the white space claims precisely
The under-claimed sub-areas identified here need claim-level validation before drafting — checking exactly what is and isn't covered in microwave-drying and in-situ monitoring methods.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack the declining incumbents
Assignees showing steep year-over-year pullback may be reallocating R&D rather than exiting the field; monitoring their adjacent filings can reveal where that effort is moving.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaCommon questions
In this landscape, it is a filing that combines a zeolite, molecular sieve or zeolite catalyst claim with an activity screening, batch consistency, crystallinity QC or characterization step, and sits inside the B01J29, G01N23 or B01J37 classification. Most of these are not standalone characterization method patents; they are catalyst synthesis, modification or refining patents that build a QC or screening step into a broader claim. That bundling is why the technology composition data shows heavy overlap with inorganic chemistry and hydrocarbon-refining classes rather than a narrow characterization silo.
Filing peaked in 2017 at 257 families and had already eased to 217 by the 2022 midpoint, so the overall trend is flat to declining rather than growing. The most recent year shows only 13 filings, but that figure is a partial year and understated because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. A declining count does not necessarily mean less R&D activity — it can also mean fewer parties are choosing to file new patents on an already well-covered core.
The dataset shows a small number of high-volume filers, including China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), alongside major international catalyst and refining companies. Collaboration is limited: only ten co-assignee pairs exist across the entire set, and the strongest of those is an internal pairing between a parent company and its own research institute. Several established filers, including Chevron U.S.A. Inc., show sharply negative year-over-year filing momentum in the most recent data, which points to a mature rather than expanding competitive set at the top.
The core catalysis classification B01J29 and its neighbouring classes are heavily filed, but sub-areas like microwave-assisted drying process controls, in-situ crystallinity monitoring during calcination, and automated activity-screening throughput methods show thinner density relative to the core. The F01N exhaust-treatment overlap is also comparatively small at 150 records, suggesting emissions-catalyst QC claims are less contested than refining-catalyst QC claims. Any white-space assessment should be checked at the claim level before drafting, since thin volume in a classification does not guarantee an open claim.
Citation counts in this dataset skew toward older filings such as the 1980s-era silicon-substituted zeolite composition patent, simply because older records have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus. That makes citation count a reasonable proxy for foundational influence but a poor one for current commercial relevance. A recent, lightly-cited filing can still describe an active, uncontested claim area, particularly given the roughly 18-month publication lag that understates how recent activity in this field really is.
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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.