Study on patent trends for food waste recycling technology

Abstract

Food waste in Korea occupied approximately 26% of the total municipal waste in the year 2013; therefore, the food waste recycling business has been expanded as an alternative to disposal. This study was conducted to assess the competitiveness of Korean technology, research, and development in leading companies by analyzing food waste treatment and recycling patent trends in Japan, Europe, China, the United States, and Korea. A total of 22,972 valid patents publicized or registered between 1990 (by filing date) and May of 2014 (by research initiation date) were reviewed and categorized by technology. The collection-Treatment and composting fields both had a steady rise in core technology. Patents related to saline administration, decomposition control, sterilization, odor elimination, and separation of foreign matter were applied for in the collection-Treatment field. A number of patents related to composting processes and material utilization were applied for, whereas very few patents related to composting technology were applied for, implying that research for further technical development is necessary.