BIOENERGY. Latest published applications 2017-2019. Biogas
Summary
The production of biogas is an important field of renewable energy production which enables energy and heat production in rural areas. Often special energy crops, biomass and agricultural waste, food and brewery waste as well as sewage water are used as feedstock. The availability of feedstock determines the choice of technology. For example, in South-Asian countries the most important feedstock for biogas production is palm oil, in China and India animal manure is used and in Germany biomass and agricultural waste are fermented. This requires the implementation of various technologies. More than 70% of net biogas production is concentrated in Europe. Germany is the undisputed leader in biogas fuel production where there are about 10,000 biogas plants. Among the most common shortcomings of the current systems, low efficiency of the main processes, low efficiency of product treatment as well as negative environmental impact are frequently mentioned. The patents presented in this bulletin try to overcome some of these problems.
The present bulletin reviews patent applications registered by patent offices around the globe in 2017-2019 in the field related to biogas production. General research methodology can be found on the Advanced Energy Technologies website. 2375 patent documents from 41 patent offices around the world are represented in the bulletin. In total, 1078 applicants from 45 countries and 1362 subgroups of the International Patent Classification are mentioned.
Key Highlights
Statistical information presented in the bulletin includes distribution of patent documents by years, by patent offices and by applicant countries, applicant-related data (residents and non-residents), and data on the most frequently mentioned International Patent Classification divisions (sections, classes, subclasses, groups, and subgroups). The largest number of applications during the period of time under revision was registered by the patent office of China.
Based on the analysis of each of the patent applications, internal characteristics of unified indicators (technical problems, types of inventive solutions, belonging to one or other technological segment) were found, which allowed specific features for each of the indicators for the entire array of documents to be defined, for instance, to define the leading problems or technical solution types that were disclosed by the inventors the most. Document lists are provided for the ten most popular groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators, including their ID numbers and applicant names.
A list of the top 10 applicants by the number of applications includes DSM IP Assets B.V. (NL), BASF, SE (DE), Haldor Topsoe A/S (DK), Evonik Fibres Gmbh (AT), Osaka Gas Corporation (JP), Clariant International AG (CH), Johnson Matthey Plc (GB), Fluorchemie GmbH Frankfurt (DE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (SA), UOP LLC (US). Data representing the share in the established intellectual property market, distribution of applications by problems, IPC sections, patent offices and technology indicators is provided in the form of tables and diagrams for them.
The prominent documents pages contain the top 10 patent applications with the highest bibliographical rating, the most extensive coverage of IPC sections, and those not being a part of patent family.
A list of all of the documents reviewed, arranged by the top 10 groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators and by patent offices with the indication of the ID numbers of the registered patent applications are provided in the conclusive part of the bulletin.
Who needs this bulletin?
The data provided in the proposed bulletin is a timely reflection of the transformations that take place in the intellectual property sector of the industrial direction concerned. A thoroughly edited selection of patent documents can become a good complement to your library of available technical solutions. The bulletin is targeted at inventors, engineers, researchers, managers and business administrators involved in the development of bioenergy production technologies.
