Patent landscape analysis: How to find information on hydrogen peroxide industrial syntheses

Abstract

The objective of this presentation is to provide an overview of the methodology employed in patent landscape analyses (PLA), with a particular focus on the patented processes used to produce hydrogen peroxide.

Patents are an essential source of technical knowledge that may not be found anywhere else. In a paper published in World Patent Information it is posited that 57 % of technical information can be found exclusively in patents. Even if the quantity of information is difficult to quantify, the rising number of patent applications demonstrates the growing importance of patents as a source of information.

A patent landscape is a specific type of patent search conducted with the objective of identifying the most recent inventions or to study the development of a particular technology.

An example of PLA is reported, focused on the industrial production of hydrogen peroxide. The search was carried out using a combination of classification schemes (IPC – International Patent Classification and CPC – Cooperative Patent Classification) and keywords.

The global patent landscape is dominated by China, the USA and Japan. The patenting trend indicates a rise in the number of filings for electrolytic and photocatalytic methods, with a notable acceleration in the latter.

These results can be beneficial for researchers and technology transfer professionals. Researchers may utilize these findings to develop new photocatalytic methods or enhance the alkyl anthraquinone auto-oxidation (AO) process, focusing on the catalytic systems and reactors utilized for the hydrogenation step, for example.