1 Introduction
It is advisable that innovations presenting promising commercial applications be
patent-protected. Going through the patent filing process, it is important to ensure
that the set of claims drafted cover all the patentable concepts included in an
application. Since this might not be technically feasible in some cases, more than a
single patent application might be required to cover all commercial aspects of a
given invention. A great deal of patent applications in the area of biofuels production is filed on a daily basis, but only a few are accompanied with a concert
commercialization agenda, resulting in considerable investment problems. In line
with that, reviews of the recent patent publications in the field could be of great
assistance to the inventors and patent examiners in biofuels-related domain. It
should be noted that business interests might undergo substantial changes over the
course of time, affecting the commercial value of a certain patent as well.
Having reviewed the patent publications filed since 70s, a large number of
patents could be found focusing on various aspects of biofuels production from
microalgae, e.g., strain selection, process efficiency, and process management. This
is mainly ascribed to the unique features of microalgae, i.e., being a non-agricultural
crop (triggering no food vs. fuel conflict), possibility of cultivation in various
aquatic environments (freshwater, saline water, and wastewater), as well as huge
biomass production and high lipid content.
Most recent patent applications concerning microalgal fuels are focused on
improving the cellular metabolic flux of the organisms or on improving/optimizing
the algal biofuel production processes (Thompson 2013). As an example, the distribution of patents for two candidate microalgae for biodiesel production is presented in Table 1 (de la Jara et al. 2016).
It should be noted that this chapter is not advocating or determining the
patentability of any technologies related to microalgal fuel but rather striving to
shed light on the latest development in the field in the form of patent applications.
More specifically, patent applications are reviewed and discussed under upstream,
mainstream, and downstream strategies.
Table 1 Distribution of patents for two candidate microalgae for biodiesel production (adopted
from de la Jara et al. 2016)
Patent application details
Microalgae
Chlorella sp.
Dunaliella sp.
Year of first publication
1964
1978
Year of first publication in energy area
1977
2008
Evolution of published patents
2011
Steady state
Application category (in order of
development vs. time)
Production methodology,
food, energy
Culture media,
food, energy
292
A. F. Talebi et al.
It is advisable that innovations presenting promising commercial applications be
patent-protected. Going through the patent filing process, it is important to ensure
that the set of claims drafted cover all the patentable concepts included in an
application. Since this might not be technically feasible in some cases, more than a
single patent application might be required to cover all commercial aspects of a
given invention. A great deal of patent applications in the area of biofuels production is filed on a daily basis, but only a few are accompanied with a concert
commercialization agenda, resulting in considerable investment problems. In line
with that, reviews of the recent patent publications in the field could be of great
assistance to the inventors and patent examiners in biofuels-related domain. It
should be noted that business interests might undergo substantial changes over the
course of time, affecting the commercial value of a certain patent as well.
Having reviewed the patent publications filed since 70s, a large number of
patents could be found focusing on various aspects of biofuels production from
microalgae, e.g., strain selection, process efficiency, and process management. This
is mainly ascribed to the unique features of microalgae, i.e., being a non-agricultural
crop (triggering no food vs. fuel conflict), possibility of cultivation in various
aquatic environments (freshwater, saline water, and wastewater), as well as huge
biomass production and high lipid content.
Most recent patent applications concerning microalgal fuels are focused on
improving the cellular metabolic flux of the organisms or on improving/optimizing
the algal biofuel production processes (Thompson 2013). As an example, the distribution of patents for two candidate microalgae for biodiesel production is presented in Table 1 (de la Jara et al. 2016).
It should be noted that this chapter is not advocating or determining the
patentability of any technologies related to microalgal fuel but rather striving to
shed light on the latest development in the field in the form of patent applications.
More specifically, patent applications are reviewed and discussed under upstream,
mainstream, and downstream strategies.
Table 1 Distribution of patents for two candidate microalgae for biodiesel production (adopted
from de la Jara et al. 2016)
Patent application details
Microalgae
Chlorella sp.
Dunaliella sp.
Year of first publication
1964
1978
Year of first publication in energy area
1977
2008
Evolution of published patents
2011
Steady state
Application category (in order of
development vs. time)
Production methodology,
food, energy
Culture media,
food, energy
292
A. F. Talebi et al.