Technology Analysis and Research Directions for Sustainable Bioresource-Based Material Alternatives: A Patent- and Literature-Based Analysis

This study analyzes selected international patent documents and the scientific literature to identify major Technology Elements and evidence-based research directions for sustainable bioresource-based material alternatives. Patent documents publicly available during the most recent 10-year period were searched, and documents representing the same invention or continuous rights were consolidated into 34 Patent Families. Technical evidence from abstracts and claims was organized according to six Technology Elements: bioresource, pretreatment, materialization, functionalization, application, and end-of-life (EOL). Eighteen scientific literature sources were considered, with recent studies prioritized for current research needs and relevant methodological and foundational studies included where necessary to establish the analytical framework. Agricultural by-products, food and organic wastes, spent coffee grounds, fruit residues, and algal biomass were repeatedly identified as major bioresource categories. Pretreatment and materialization technologies were broadly represented, whereas direct links among EOL and integrated environmental and safety assessment were relatively limited. These findings indicate that future research should strengthen connections among feedstock characterization, low-burden pretreatment, high-value materialization, functional performance, environmental and safety assessment, and EOL pathways. Research directions were derived by cross-checking technical approaches disclosed in patent titles, abstracts, claims, and relevant bibliographic information with research needs reported in the scientific literature rather than by applying an arbitrary scoring or technology-opportunity ranking system. This evidence-based Technology Network perspective provides a transparent basis for identifying research considerations for sustainable bioresource-based material alternatives.