Biodiesel from beef tallow: a technological patent mapping

Beef tallow has become indispensable for the production of biodiesel since the introduction of biofuel manufacturing methods. The objective of this study is to create a technological map of patents that have employed bovine tallow in the manufacturing of biodiesel over the last ten years (2009–2019). The methodological approach was established using a bibliographic survey and a content analysis, in which keywords from the European Patent Office's (Espacenet) and Derwent Innovations Index databases were employed (DII). After a preliminary examination, 34 patents were found, divided into eight patent families, with China being the largest repository of these technologies, suggesting that the companies that promoted the use of beef tallow as a fuel had diversified completely, with no monopoly on technological content for a specific group of institutions. (author)