DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL

Description

B09 covers technologies and methods for the final disposal of solid waste materials and the remediation of soil contaminated with pollutants or hazardous substances. This includes mechanical, chemical, and biological treatment processes; landfill engineering; incineration systems; waste compaction and containment; and soil reclamation techniques such as excavation, chemical treatment, and bioremediation. The class encompasses both the operational procedures and equipment used in waste management facilities, excluding waste collection and transport operations, which fall under other B sections.

Filing statistics

IPC B09 recorded 99,376 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 2 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 4,738 in 2013 to 12,120 in 2023 (+156%), peaking at 13,555 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B09 are CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (776 applications), TAIHEIYO CEMENT CORPORATION (279 applications) and BEIJING GEOENVIRON ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (247 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings