Decarbonisation: methanol
Highlights:
- New patent filings for sustainable methanol have surged since 2019 - nearly doubling by 2023 - with innovation focused on “green-” or “e”- methanol.
- Europe, Japan, the US, and South Korea lead in new methanol patent filings, whereas China - despite being the world’s largest methanol producer - has low international filing activity so far.
- Topsoe is the dominant patent filer in sustainable methanol technologies (across both green and blue pathways), reflecting its decades of expertise in methanol synthesis.
- Emerging players are also contributing to the green/e-methanol space: start-ups like Liquid Wind (Sweden) and Aeon Blue (Canada) are making notable progress toward methanol production technologies that utilise both green hydrogen and captured CO₂.
- Beyond methanol, patents for other synthetic e-fuels remain at a low level, despite a notable uptick in 2023 (likely spurred by new EU mandates), underscoring that the e-fuels industry is still nascent and heavily reliant on policy support.
Innovation in cleaner methanol synthesis has accelerated dramatically in recent years.
Global patent data shows that innovation in cleaner methanol synthesis has accelerated dramatically in recent years. After a relatively flat period in the 2010s, new patent applications related to sustainable methanol nearly doubled from 2019 to 2023. This boom coincides with rising industrial demand for methanol and a wave of decarbonisation initiatives (for instance, the "US Inflation Reduction Act" and other policies encouraging low-carbon fuels). The surge comes as producers of methanol - a vital chemical feedstock for many common products - face growing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint.
Figure 1: twenty year trend (2004-2023) - global new priority (patent) filings - sustainable methanol production
Conventional methanol production relies on fossil-derived synthesis gas and emits substantial CO₂ (around ten percent of the chemical industry’s CO₂ emissions). With global methanol demand doubling in the past decade, there is strong impetus to develop low-carbon alternatives. These efforts include “green-” or “e-" methanol (made from green hydrogen and captured CO₂) and “blue” methanol (using fossil natural has coupled with carbon capture), with green methanol recently drawing more innovation attention than blue.
Global patent filing trends
Patent filings related to sustainable methanol production show a clear growth trend over the past two decades. After rising in the mid-2000s and then plateauing in the 2010s, annual filing counts began climbing again in 2019. By 2023, the number of new patent applications in this area was almost twice that of 2019. This recent boom in patent activity aligns with heightened corporate and government focus on decarbonising the chemical industry. Supportive policies - from net-zero emissions targets to incentives for carbon-free hydrogen - have likely played a role in spurring innovation in methanol synthesis technologies.
Taking a snapshot within this overall trend, it appears that green methanol has recently been gaining momentum. Patent filings for green methanol (using renewable inputs) have recently seen higher and more consistent growth, reaching a new peak in 2023. In contrast, filings for blue methanol remain lower in volume and at varying volume. Although a small sample size, this disparity suggests that developers may see more immediate promise in green methanol, perhaps due to greater policy support for renewable hydrogen and the higher readiness level of those technologies.
Figure 2A: twenty year trend (2004-2023) - new patent applications - green methanol production and blue methanol production
Figure 2B: blue methanol - proportion of filings by entity (2004 - 2023)
Figure 2C: green methanol - proportion of filings by entity (2004 - 2023)
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of methanol – in 2018 it accounted for over half of global methanol demand - yet Chinese-origin international patent families in sustainable methanol have been surprisingly modest.
Regional innovation trends
Geographically, sustainable methanol innovation is led by a few key regions. Over the past decade (2014–2023), Europe has filed the most patent applications related to decarbonised methanol, closely followed by Japan until 2023, with the United States, South Korea, and China further behind. Europe’s prominence reflects its active climate policies and investments in renewable fuels. Its current strong growth trend is especially notable. South Korea, US, and Japan also contribute significantly, likely bolstered by government and industry initiatives in clean energy and materials, although 2023 represented a sharp drop in the number of new patent filings from Japan, with the US levels also in lull period.
Figure 3: ten year trend (2014-2023) - new patent applications by territory - sustainable methanol production
Another notable territory of interest is China. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of methanol – in 2018 it accounted for over half of global methanol demand – yet Chinese-origin international patent families in sustainable methanol have been surprisingly modest. This gap may be because much of China’s methanol innovation remains in domestic patents (excluded in this report for the reasons explained in the Methodology section) or proprietary projects not captured in global filing data. However, China continues to take significant steps in the domestic market, investing in low-carbon hydrogen and methanol production, particularly through biomass and CO₂-to-methanol technologies. It remains to be seen whether such efforts will translate into more Chinese patent filings on the global stage.
Leading innovators and top filers
The group of top patent filers in sustainable methanol is led by established industry players. One company standing out in particular for their high filing volume is Topsoe. Topsoe (Haldor Topsoe A/S of Denmark) has filed the most new patent applications in this field over the past ten years. A long-time leader in methanol catalyst and process technology, Topsoe has steadily increased its patent filings year-on-year. Notably, Topsoe is the top filer for both green and blue methanol-related patents, underscoring its broad commitment to decarbonising methanol. The company’s recent projects reinforce this leadership: for example, Topsoe is supplying technology for a 40,000 t/year e-methanol plant in Spain, and in 2025 it partnered with engineering firm Worley to deploy modular e-methanol plants in the US aimed at low-carbon shipping fuels.
Figure 4: ten year trend (2014-2023) - new patent application by assignee - sustainable methanol production
Another major player is Air Liquide, which until recently filed a steady 2–3 methanol patents per year. In 2023, Air Liquide’s filings jumped to 7 new applications, indicating a ramp-up in R&D. This corresponds with the company’s broader pivot toward green hydrogen and Power-to-X solutions. Air Liquide’s latest patent filings include innovations in using electrolytic hydrogen for methanol synthesis, improved catalysts, and systems to handle fluctuating renewable energy inputs. Coupled with its investments in large-scale green hydrogen projects in Europe, Air Liquide appears poised to expand deeper into green methanol – and we anticipate its patent activity in this area will remain strong.
Mitsubishi (Japan) and NGK Insulators (Japan) have also been active filers in recent years. Mitsubishi’s patent filings in sustainable methanol peaked in 2022 and cover areas such as CO₂ capture integration, reactor design improvements, and novel catalysts for methanol production. Mitsubishi’s strategic moves - including partnerships (e.g. working with NGK on ceramic membranes for e-methanol production) and commitments to procure large volumes of low-carbon methanol - suggest that its interest in this field will continue. NGK Insulators, known for ceramics and battery materials, made a burst of filings in 2021–2022 (focused on membrane reactor technology and fuel synthesis), though this activity stalled in 2023. It will be interesting to see whether the NGK-Mitsubishi collaboration announced in 2024 for e-methanol membranes will reinvigorate filings for both companies going forward.
Also among the top filers is Honda Motor. Honda began filing patents related to sustainable methanol around 2020, with a peak in 2021. These patents have been somewhat eclectic – ranging from methods to utilise CO₂ in industrial exhaust to methanol-fuelled engine optimisations. However, Honda has since shifted its focus toward electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. As a result, Honda’s activity in methanol-related automotive innovation may remain limited in the near term.
While incumbents dominate overall patent counts, the green methanol niche is also seeing innovation from newcomers. Liquid Wind AB, founded in Sweden in 2017, is developing e-methanol facilities and has secured significant investments (including backing from Topsoe, Alfa Laval, and Samsung) to build commercial-scale plants in Scandinavia that utilise green hydrogen in combination with captured CO2. Liquid Wind’s patent applications focus on integrating variable renewable electricity into the methanol production and on improving carbon-capture solvent recycling - aimed at making e-methanol production more efficient and flexible.
Another young company, Aeon Blue (Canada, est. 2018), specialises in integrating carbon capture with green electrolysis; its goal is to pull CO₂ from air and hydrogen from seawater to synthesise carbon-negative methanol.
The emerging e-fuels landscape
Methanol is just one piece of the broader push toward synthetic fuels (or “e-fuels”). Patent activity in other e-fuels - such as synthetic gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel made from green hydrogen and captured CO₂ - has been minimal until very recently. From 2004 through 2022, global patent filings explicitly focused on e-fuels remained in the single digits annually. It was only in 2023 that we saw a notable uptick: over ten new e-fuel patent applications were filed that year.
Figure 5: twenty year trend (2004-2023) - new patent appllications - e-fuels
This jump in 2023 e-fuel patenting may be tied to policy signals. The European Union’s Green Deal, for instance, introduced a requirement that by 2030 a small percentage (around 2.6–5.7 percent) of transport fuels must be green hydrogen or e-fuels. Not surprisingly, most of the 2023 e-fuel patent filings were concentrated in Europe (especially Germany). These new applications often focus on infrastructure and vehicle adaptations needed to deploy e-fuels. While e-fuels are touted as drop-in replacements for fossil fuels, companies are clearly working on distribution systems and engine modifications to optimise use of these novel fuels.
Figure 6: ten year trend - new patent applications by jurisdiction - e-fuels
Regulatory developments are also starting to reduce uncertainty for e-fuels. In 2024, Germany and the EU began crafting a framework to officially recognise vehicles powered by e-fuels as “zero-emission” for regulatory purposes. This move, once implemented, will give automakers and fuel producers more confidence that e-fuels have a viable role alongside electrification. Indeed, some industry players are already investing; for example, Porsche’s $75 million investment in 2022 for a stake in Chilean e-fuel producer HIF Global shows the interest in securing low-carbon fuel as a complement to EVs.
Even with these positive signals, the e-fuels industry remains in its infancy. Patent filings in e-fuels are still negligible compared to the waves of innovation in electric vehicles (or even green ammonia). The next few years may be critical - either e-fuel patent activity continues to climb as technology and policy align, or interest could fade if progress stalls. For now, the trajectory of e-fuels may hinge on continued government support and whether these fuels can prove competitive in practice.
Outlook
The patent trends show that efforts to decarbonise methanol are in full swing. A long period of modest activity has now given way to a rapid escalation of innovation in the early 2020s. The surge in new filings for green/e-methanol technologies signals strong confidence that renewable hydrogen and captured-CO₂-based methanol production will play a major role in the industry’s transition.
Regionally, Europe’s lead in methanol patent filings underscores how robust climate policies can drive innovation. The relatively lower international patent output from China, despite its huge domestic methanol market, suggests untapped potential that could be realised in the coming years
Ultimately, sustainable methanol innovation is accelerating, but its real impact will depend on scaling these new technologies. The parallel development of e-fuels adds another layer to the future of energy: if the regulatory and economic pieces fall into place, e-fuels (including e-methanol) could become viable complements to electrification. For now, the sustainable methanol field is forging ahead, backed by a diverse mix of industry giants and agile start-ups. The coming years will be important for translating today’s patent momentum into commercial reality - determining how big a role green and blue methanol will ultimately play in decarbonising transport and chemical production.
Holly Redman Trainee Patent Attorney
Chris Mason Partner and Patent Attorney