Innovation in carbon capture technology has reached a historic high according to the latest patent data* reported by Appleyard Lees.
This is one of the findings in the fifth annual edition of the now-published Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report** from the leading intellectual property firm.
New patent filings increased by more than 200% since the turn of the decade (from 167 in 2020 to 565 in 2023) and total more than three times the previous peak in 2012 (176).
Appleyard Lees’ Ashley Wragg, UK and European Patent Attorney, said, “This unprecedented growth in patent activity underscores how important capture technologies have become to meeting the Paris Agreement.”
Adsorption takes the lead in technology types
Among technology types attracting innovation investment, adsorption-based carbon capture has skyrocketed in the past five years versus its comparatively mature alternative, absorption-based carbon capture.
The former uses solid materials to bind CO₂ to their surface while the latter uses liquid solvents to chemically absorb it. And the latest data shows about 2.5 times more adsorbent-related patent applications in 2023 than those for liquid absorbents.
This acceleration is likely driven by adsorbents’ need for less energy to capture and release CO₂, meaning lower costs and easier integration with renewable energy sources. In addition, this branch of the technology works well with direct air capture – an area of innovation that also reached a peak in 2023, with a 50% year-on-year increase in patent filings (from 98 to 147).
Wragg added, “The versatility of adsorbent technologies has put them at the vanguard of carbon capture innovation offering promising pathways to more efficient and scalable CO₂ removal systems.”
Other technologies for carbon capture – such as bio-trapping using living organisms and membrane-based separation systems – though currently showing far fewer patent applications are growing areas of interest, according to the research.
Countries and companies
The US and Japan share the top spot in patent filings for adsorbents in 2023 (each claiming almost 30% of the total), followed by South Korea with 23% and Europe with 18%. This involves companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Linde AG, ExxonMobil and BASF.
Meanwhile, China has emerged as a major player in direct air capture technology alongside the US, with Chinese companies and institutions – including a top filer in 2023, the Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute – pursuing international patent protection to harness commercial opportunities of innovation beyond their own borders.
New developments in direct air capture include novel chemical sorbents for CO₂ and new mechanical designs to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
*Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Fifth Edition, examines patent filing data through 31 Dec 2023, the latest date complete filing data is available from public sources.
**Appleyard Lees’ Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Fifth Edition is available to read here.
