Use of hydrogels for seawater desalination process: A patent landscape report

Hydrogels for seawater desalination processes are developing rapidly through the innovation and improvement of polymers, chemical synthesis, formulation, and chemical engineering concerning the desalination process. This is also evident from the increase in the number of patent applications filed each year in this area of research and development. Therefore, this work, in the form of a patent landscape report, encapsulates the state of the art by introducing what has been patented concerning hydrogels for seawater desalination processes. As a result, 78 patent documents were found, and 60% of all patent documents have been published during the last three years. According to the findings, China was ranked as the first jurisdiction, and the most prolific patenting company is from the United States, while William Marsh Rice University (United States) and Tianjin Polytechnic University (China) are the academic institutions leading the way. The patent classifications reveal that most inventions are intended for the treatment of seawater (e.g., desalination), processes specially adapted for manufacturing semi-permeable membranes for separation processes, and the treatment of water using ion-exchange sorbent compositions, dialysis, osmosis, or reverse osmosis. The knowledge clusters and expert driving factors in this patent landscape report indicate that the research and development are based on macromolecular gels and synthetic macromolecular compounds, as well as devices and apparatus for desalination that are concentrated in most patents.