Environmental Protection in Enhanced Oil Recovery and Its Waste and Effluents Treatment: A Critical Patent-Based Review of BRICS and Non-BRICS (2004–2023)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper is devoted to the environmental protection in EOR and its waste and effluents treatment for a responsible global energy transition. The author carries out a systematic review. I would like to note that China is the primary BRICS leader and is positioned to define BRICS policies regarding technology transfer and innovation. It is also worth noting that technological partnerships between BRICS and non-BRICS countries are strongly recommended to enhance synergy and achieve sustainable and efficient production more rapidly.

Overall, the article is excellent. It does not need any major revisions. I will point out a number of small comments and recommendations.

 

Comments and recommendations:

1. Line 337, “3.5.” should be "3.6.".
2. Line 400, “5.” should be "3.".

Author Response

 

REVIEWER 1

 

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR AUTHORS

 

The paper is devoted to the environmental protection in EOR and its waste and effluents treatment for a responsible global energy transition. The author carries out a systematic review. I would like to note that China is the primary BRICS leader and is positioned to define BRICS policies regarding technology transfer and innovation. It is also worth noting that technological partnerships between BRICS and non-BRICS countries are strongly recommended to enhance synergy and achieve sustainable and efficient production more rapidly.

Overall, the article is excellent. It does not need any major revisions. I will point out a number of small comments and recommendations.

Comments and recommendations:

Line 337, “3.5.” should be "3.6.".

Line 400, “5.” should be "3.".

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The section and subsection numbers have been corrected.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you to the author for his contribution "Environmental Protection in Enhanced Oil Recovery and its Waste and Effluents Treatment: A Critical Patent-Based Review of BRICS and Non-BRICS (2004–2023)." Gaining this perspective on GEOR and WT methods applied worldwide was fascinating.

I have some observations primarily related to style and formatting.

Please ensure that all acronyms are defined upon their first appearance and included in the glossary, as readers need to have multiple points of reference for this information. For example, WIPO is not defined in the text or listed in the glossary for abbreviations.

Additionally, numbering the equations on page 4 would enhance the presentation and allow for proper referencing within the text.

In general, figures that contain multiple graphs should be labeled as (a), (b), (c), etc., and referenced accordingly in the text when necessary. Please indicate the units on the axes for Figures 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.

In Figure 2, describe the country abbreviations used, and in the non-BRICS GEOR graph, there are two data points without country labels—please clarify these. This figure could also be edited for improved readability.

Lines 226 and 227: briefly specify which Chinese environmental policies are referenced.

To enhance data visibility, Figure 3 could be improved by improving the quality.

In lines 260 and 261, it would be appropriate to mention the specific regulations being discussed.

The discussion in lines 295–298 is interesting, but it would also be valuable to analyze these technologies' impact on their fundamental purpose—environmental protection and improvement. This idea could be further explored in the paragraph by presenting possible methodologies to assess the ecological impact of the oil industry before and after the application of GEOR and WT. Additionally, it could be helpful to relate this to the decline in the development of new technologies. Mention that a cradle-to-cradle or cradle-to-grave analysis could even be considered to evaluate the environmental impact of each technology from production to application and disposal.

It would also be insightful to hear the author’s perspective on the trends discussed in lines 390–399. Why does the author believe this behavior differs between BRICS and non-BRICS countries? The differences are significant and potentially influenced by distinct policies and mechanisms within each country. Addressing this aspect in more detail would strengthen the discussion given the author's analysis.

Finally, I am unsure whether mentioning the brand Excel requires special permission or a citation specifying the software version. It may be preferable to avoid this by simply stating that a spreadsheet was used for data processing.

Author Response

 

CHANGES MADE AND RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS' COMMENTS

 

REVIEWER 2

 

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR AUTHORS

 

2A. Thank you to the author for his contribution "Environmental Protection in Enhanced Oil Recovery and its Waste and Effluents Treatment: A Critical Patent-Based Review of BRICS and Non-BRICS (2004–2023)." Gaining this perspective on GEOR and WT methods applied worldwide was fascinating.

I have some observations primarily related to style and formatting.

Please ensure that all acronyms are defined upon their first appearance and included in the glossary, as readers need to have multiple points of reference for this information. For example, WIPO is not defined in the text or listed in the glossary for abbreviations.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. A careful review identified the following acronyms, which have been corrected in both their definition upon first appearance and their inclusion in the glossary for abbreviations: DIS, DIV, RTA, TRL, UN, WIPO.

 

 

2B. Additionally, numbering the equations on page 4 would enhance the presentation and allow for proper referencing within the text.

 

RESPONSE (pg. 4):

The author thanks the Reviewer. The equations have been numbered, and their numbers have been included throughout the text, allowing for proper referencing.

 

 

2C. In general, figures that contain multiple graphs should be labeled as (a), (b), (c), etc., and referenced accordingly in the text when necessary. Please indicate the units on the axes for Figures 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. All figures have been reviewed, including the labels (a), (b), (c), etc., in the figures that contain multiple graphs. Units have also been included in the titles or axes of the figures.

 

 

2D. In Figure 2, describe the country abbreviations used, and in the non-BRICS GEOR graph, there are two data points without country labels—please clarify these. This figure could also be edited for improved readability.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The countries abbreviations were included in Figure 2 legend. . It now reads (lines 235-237):

“Figure 2. Percentage distribution of patents among countries: (a) BRICS GEOR; (b) non-BRICS GEOR; (c) BRICS WT; (d) non-BRICS WT. CA – Canada; CN – China; DE – Germany; FR – France; GB – Great Britain; JP – Japan; KR – South Korea; US – United States of America.”

 

 

2E. Lines 226 and 227: briefly specify which Chinese environmental policies are referenced.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. It now reads (lines 248-253):

“This may be a consequence of China's increasing focus on environmental protection policies over the past decades, implementing regulations and enforcing environmental laws to protect air, water, and land from pollution and contamination. These efforts have included the establishment of the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2008, among other initiatives [42-46].”

 

The discussion has been complemented with five references.

42. Regulations on the Administration of Environmental Protection in the Exploration and Development of Offshore Petroleum. Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China. 1983. Available online: https://english.mee.gov.cn/Resources/laws/regulations/Marine_Environment/200710/t20071022_111648.shtml (accessed on 12 March 2025).
43. 13th Five-Year Plan and the 2015 Environmental Protection Law Reform. Available online: https://www.mondaq.com/china/clean-air-pollution/955486/china39s-evolving-environmental-protection-laws (accessed on 12 March 2025).
44. Meidan, M.; Hove, A.; Qin, Y. China’s Policy Pendulum Shifts Back Toward Environmental Protection, but Will Bureaucracy Get in the Way? The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. February 2024. Available online: https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chinas-policy-pendulum-shifts-back-toward-environmental-protection.pdf (accessed on 12 March 2025).
45. Ministry of Environmental Protection of China. Available online: https://english.mee.gov.cn/About_MEE/Mission (accessed on 12 March 2025).
46. Esarey, A.; Haddad, M.A.; Lewis, J.I.; Harrell, S., Eds. Greening East Asia: The Rise of the Eco-Developmental State; University of Washington Press: Seattle, WA, USA, 2020. Available online: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv19rs1b2 (accessed on 12 March 2025).

 

 

2F. To enhance data visibility, Figure 3 could be improved by improving the quality.

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. Figure 3 quality was improved.

 

 

2G. In lines 260 and 261, it would be appropriate to mention the specific regulations being discussed.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. It now reads (lines 288-290):

“These technologies are essential for water reuse in compliance with, for example, national environmental regulations and international standards for deepwater exploration [16-18, 47].”

 

The discussion has been complemented with four new references.

16. Lodge, M. The International Seabed Authority and Deep Seabed Mining; United Nations: New York, NY, USA, 2017. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/international-seabed-authority-and-deep-seabed-mining (accessed on 12 March 2025).
17. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – UNCLOS. United Nations. 1994. Available online: https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf (accessed on 12 March 2025).
18. Stuiver, M.; Soma, K.; Koundouri, P.; Van den Burg, S.; Gerritsen, A.; Harkamp, T.; Dalsgaard, N.; Zagonari, F.; Guanche, R.; Schouten, J.-J.; et al. The Governance of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea for Energy Production and Aquaculture: Challenges for Policy Makers in European Seas. Sustainability 2016, 8, 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040333.
19. Semenova, T.; Al-Dirawi, A.; Al-Saadi, T. Environmental Challenges for Fragile Economies: Adaptation Opportunities on the Examples of the Arctic and Iraq. Agronomy 2022, 12, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092021.

 

 

2H. The discussion in lines 295–298 is interesting, but it would also be valuable to analyze these technologies' impact on their fundamental purpose—environmental protection and improvement. This idea could be further explored in the paragraph by presenting possible methodologies to assess the ecological impact of the oil industry before and after the application of GEOR and WT. Additionally, it could be helpful to relate this to the decline in the development of new technologies. Mention that a cradle-to-cradle or cradle-to-grave analysis could even be considered to evaluate the environmental impact of each technology from production to application and disposal.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The Conclusions have been complemented with the reviewer's suggestions, including this paragraph and additional references (lines 451-458):

“This study was based on patents, focusing on technological development at TRL 4-5, assessing the future potential of technologies and the technological capabilities of BRICS and non-BRICS countries. However, as the TRL increases up to TRL 9 (product or process in the market), it will be essential to map the life cycle assessment, product environmental footprint, and material flow analysis, aiming for circular innovation, with a focus on maximizing cradle-to-cradle processes over cradle-to-grave processes [18, 48-51].”

 

Five references have been added:

18. Stuiver, M.; Soma, K.; Koundouri, P.; Van den Burg, S.; Gerritsen, A.; Harkamp, T.; Dalsgaard, N.; Zagonari, F.; Guanche, R.; Schouten, J.-J.; et al. The Governance of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea for Energy Production and Aquaculture: Challenges for Policy Makers in European Seas. Sustainability 2016, 8, 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040333.
19. Bach, V.; Minkov, N.; Finkbeiner, M. Assessing the Ability of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products Program to Reliably Determine the Environmental Performance of Products. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051562.
20. Peralta, M.E.; Alcalá, N.; Soltero, V.M. Weighting with Life Cycle Assessment and Cradle to Cradle: A Methodology for Global Sustainability Design. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 9042. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11199042.
21. Alsalem, F.; Thiemann, T. Produced Water from the Oil and Gas Industry as a Resource—South Kuwait as a Case Study. Resources 2024, 13, 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13090118.
22. Thiedemann, T.M.; Wark, M. A Compact Review of Current Technologies for Carbon Capture as Well as Storing and Utilizing the Captured CO₂. Processes 2025, 13, 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13010283.

 

 

2I. It would also be insightful to hear the author’s perspective on the trends discussed in lines 390–399. Why does the author believe this behavior differs between BRICS and non-BRICS countries? The differences are significant and potentially influenced by distinct policies and mechanisms within each country. Addressing this aspect in more detail would strengthen the discussion given the author's analysis.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The Introduction and Discussion have been modified to clarify these aspects, with the inclusion of new references. It now reads:

 

Introduction (lines 66-82):

“The United Nations has facilitated agreements among countries on international environmental regulations and standards, particularly concerning deepwater exploration, seabed mining, and platforms for energy production and aquaculture [16-18].

Recently, the semi-informal association of emerging economies known as BRICS has been actively collaborating and currently accounts for approximately half of global oil production [19,20]. One of the most significant aspects for EOR&Env technology development and the Agenda 2030 is BRICS' potential for technological transfer partnerships (SDG 17) [21] and the financing of green ventures (SDG 7) [22,23].

Indeed, BRICS countries are engaged in intense coordination efforts, sharing experiences, establishing the BRICS 2025 Portal for integrated communication strategies, and identifying partnerships to improve living conditions. This has led several countries to either join as partner states or apply for full membership [24,25].

However, both BRICS and non-BRICS nations face similar technological challenges, as the distribution of reservoir types and petroleum resources is determined by geological processes dating back to the fragmentation of Pangea and subsequent events [26]. Additionally, oil exploration has fostered partnerships among companies from various countries operating transnationally, as exemplified by Brazil’s Pre-Salt development [27].”

 

Results and Discussion (lines 414-423):

“This result demonstrates a high degree of complementarity between BRICS and non-BRICS countries in the various GEOR and WT technologies, leading to the conclusion that partnerships would be essential to enhance synergy and accelerate the SDGs and the 2023 Agenda.

It is important to note that, as we are analyzing technological development at TRL 4-5, we are observing the efforts of countries to develop technologies with potential for use at TRL 9 in the coming years. In other words, we are examining output indicators of countries' efforts in the path of producing oil with lower environmental impact. Despite all countries having environmental protection and patenting policies, both national and international agreements, BRICS, particularly China, have shown better performance.”

 

New references have been added, complementing those already present in the text:

16. Lodge, M. The International Seabed Authority and Deep Seabed Mining; United Nations: New York, NY, USA, 2017. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/international-seabed-authority-and-deep-seabed-mining (accessed on 12 March 2025).
17. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – UNCLOS. United Nations. 1994. Available online: https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf (accessed on 12 March 2025).
18. Stuiver, M.; Soma, K.; Koundouri, P.; Van den Burg, S.; Gerritsen, A.; Harkamp, T.; Dalsgaard, N.; Zagonari, F.; Guanche, R.; Schouten, J.-J.; et al. The Governance of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea for Energy Production and Aquaculture: Challenges for Policy Makers in European Seas. Sustainability 2016, 8, 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040333.
19. Portal dos BRICS. Presidência da República, Brazil. 2025. Available online: https://www.gov.br/planalto/pt-br/agenda-internacional/brics/brasil-lanca-portal-do-brics-2025 (accessed on 12 March 2025).
20. BRICS. 2025. Available online: https://brics.br/en (accessed on 12 March 2025).
21. Thompson, T.L. Plate Tectonics in Oil and Gas Exploration of Continental Margins. AAPG Bull. 1976, 60, 1463–1501. https://doi.org/10.1306/C1EA3884-16C9-11D7-8645000102C1865D.
22. Current Contracts. Pre-Salt Petroleum SA. Available online: https://www.presalpetroleo.gov.br/eng/current-contracts/ (accessed on 12 March 2025).

 

 

2J. Finally, I am unsure whether mentioning the brand Excel requires special permission or a citation specifying the software version. It may be preferable to avoid this by simply stating that a spreadsheet was used for data processing.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The word "Excel" has been replaced with "Spreadsheets." The text now reads (lines 187-188):

“All data were downloaded into spreadsheets and processed by the authors, who calculated the indicators and created the figures.”

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The work presents interesting material on the trends of modern world development in the field of Environmentally friendly oil recovery. However, it is not entirely clear why it was worth dividing the countries into BRICS and Non-BRICS. Moreover, the author himself points out that BRICS is the semi-informal association of emerging economies, and there are no special joint programs between the countries that provide for a green transition.

 

The title says about protecting nature by cleaning waste and effluents. And by what factors was it considered that the patent is green enough, for example, with Heat and steam, the share of which is very high in the total number of patents?

 

It is necessary to justify why the number of patents was considered. Patents can be applications without implementation, but how to estimate the percentage of implemented patents? Also, how to estimate the depth of a patent, that is, how much does it differ from existing basic analogues and how much does a patent change technology in general?

 

Also, in addition to patents, it would be worth considering the number of publications on these topics, because not all scientists consider a patent a reliable way of presenting the result of their scientific work. For example, in Russia, scientists prefer to publish their research results in journals rather than apply for patents, because many scientific grants use publications rather than patents as key performance indicators. Russia also has its own national patent database, which is not known abroad.

Author Response

 

CHANGES MADE AND RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS' COMMENTS

 

REVIEWER 3

 

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR AUTHORS

 

3A. The work presents interesting material on the trends of modern world development in the field of Environmentally friendly oil recovery. However, it is not entirely clear why it was worth dividing the countries into BRICS and Non-BRICS. Moreover, the author himself points out that BRICS is the semi-informal association of emerging economies, and there are no special joint programs between the countries that provide for a green transition.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The text has been modified in several sections to clarify these aspects, with the inclusion of new references. It now reads:

 

Introduction (lines 66-85)

“The United Nations has facilitated agreements among countries on international environmental regulations and standards, particularly concerning deepwater exploration, seabed mining, and platforms for energy production and aquaculture [16-18].

Recently, the semi-informal association of emerging economies known as BRICS has been actively collaborating and currently accounts for approximately half of global oil production [19,20]. One of the most significant aspects for EOR&Env technology development and the Agenda 2030 is BRICS' potential for technological transfer partnerships (SDG 17) [21] and the financing of green ventures (SDG 7) [22,23].

Indeed, BRICS countries are engaged in intense coordination efforts, sharing experiences, establishing the BRICS 2025 Portal for integrated communication strategies, and identifying partnerships to improve living conditions. This has led several countries to either join as partner states or apply for full membership [24,25].

However, both BRICS and non-BRICS nations face similar technological challenges, as the distribution of reservoir types and petroleum resources is determined by geological processes dating back to the fragmentation of Pangea and subsequent events [26]. Additionally, oil exploration has fostered partnerships among companies from various countries operating transnationally, as exemplified by Brazil’s Pre-Salt development [27].

Furthermore, multiple nations have signed the Patent Cooperation Treaty [28], establishing international regulations for the patenting and use of proprietary assets, which has resulted in highly similar domestic intellectual property laws across these countries.”

 

New references have been added, complementing those already present in the text.

16. Lodge, M. The International Seabed Authority and Deep Seabed Mining; United Nations: New York, NY, USA, 2017. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/international-seabed-authority-and-deep-seabed-mining (accessed on 12 March 2025).
17. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – UNCLOS. United Nations. 1994. Available online: https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf (accessed on 12 March 2025).
18. Stuiver, M.; Soma, K.; Koundouri, P.; Van den Burg, S.; Gerritsen, A.; Harkamp, T.; Dalsgaard, N.; Zagonari, F.; Guanche, R.; Schouten, J.-J.; et al. The Governance of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea for Energy Production and Aquaculture: Challenges for Policy Makers in European Seas. Sustainability 2016, 8, 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040333.
19. BRICS Portal. Presidency of the Republic, Brazil. 2025. Available online: https://www.gov.br/planalto/pt-br/agenda-internacional/brics/brasil-lanca-portal-do-brics-2025 (accessed on 12 March 2025).
20. BRICS. 2025. Available online: https://brics.br/en (accessed on 12 March 2025).
21. Thompson, T.L. Plate Tectonics in Oil and Gas Exploration of Continental Margins. AAPG Bull. 1976, 60, 1463–1501. https://doi.org/10.1306/C1EA3884-16C9-11D7-8645000102C1865D.
22. Current Contracts. Pre-Salt Petroleum SA. Available online: https://www.presalpetroleo.gov.br/eng/current-contracts/ (accessed on 12 March 2025).

 

 

3B. The title says about protecting nature by cleaning waste and effluents. And by what factors was it considered that the patent is green enough, for example, with Heat and steam, the share of which is very high in the total number of patents?

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The article focuses on patents that necessarily include, in addition to GEOR and WT, IPCs of environmental protection. To clarify this aspect for the reader, it has been reinforced in several sections of the article. It now reads:

 

Introduction (lines 102-104)

“To achieve this, patents from the worldwide Espacenet database were mapped using International Patent Classification (IPC) codes to identify the 18 main GEOR and WT methods over the past two decades that also include environmental protection IPCs.”

 

Materials and Methods (lines 131-135)

“To identify patents focused on environmental preservation and remediation, IPCs from the Environmental Domain, as established by the WIPO Technology Domains and their IPC Technology Concordance [38], were mandatorily used. These were complemented by keyword searches with truncation characters (Table S1 of the Supplementary Material).”

 

Results and Discussion (lines 197-199)

“These challenges primarily focus on water treatment in general and the flotation process, as well as GEOR methods utilizing environmental protection technologies associated with heat and steam, the latter being particularly suited for heavy oils.”

 

 

3C. It is necessary to justify why the number of patents was considered. Patents can be applications without implementation, but how to estimate the percentage of implemented patents? Also, how to estimate the depth of a patent, that is, how much does it differ from existing basic analogues and how much does a patent change technology in general?

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. The text has been modified to clarify these aspects. It now reads:

 

Methodology (lines 120-125)

“The patent search followed internationally recognized criteria established by WIPO, utilizing the IPC system [37] to identify each GEOR and WT method, resulting in a total of 27 methods. The analysis considered patents as a whole, aiming to identify potential future technological pathways by assessing this TRL 4–5 metric. It did not filter for TRL 9 (full-scale implementation of patented technologies) or patents that have become technological standards.”

 

Results and Discussion (lines 418-423)

“It is important to note that, as we are analyzing technological development at TRL 4-5, we are observing the efforts of countries to develop technologies with potential for use at TRL 9 in the coming years. In other words, we are examining output indicators of countries' efforts in the path of producing oil with lower environmental impact. Despite all countries having environmental protection and patenting policies, both national and international agreements, BRICS, particularly China, have shown better performance.”

 

Conclusion (lines 451-456)

“This study was based on patents, focusing on technological development at TRL 4-5, assessing the future potential of technologies and the technological capabilities of BRICS and non-BRICS countries. However, as the TRL increases up to TRL 9 (product or process in the market), it will be essential to map the life cycle assessment, product environmental footprint, and material flow analysis, aiming for circular innovation, with a focus on maximizing cradle-to-cradle processes over cradle-to-grave processes [18, 48-51].”

 

The following references have been inserted:

18. Stuiver, M.; Soma, K.; Koundouri, P.; Van den Burg, S.; Gerritsen, A.; Harkamp, T.; Dalsgaard, N.; Zagonari, F.; Guanche, R.; Schouten, J.-J.; et al. The Governance of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea for Energy Production and Aquaculture: Challenges for Policy Makers in European Seas. Sustainability 2016, 8, 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040333.
19. Bach, V.; Minkov, N.; Finkbeiner, M. Assessing the Ability of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products Program to Reliably Determine the Environmental Performance of Products. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051562.
20. Peralta, M.E.; Alcalá, N.; Soltero, V.M. Weighting with Life Cycle Assessment and Cradle to Cradle: A Methodology for Global Sustainability Design. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 9042. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11199042.
21. Alsalem, F.; Thiemann, T. Produced Water from the Oil and Gas Industry as a Resource—South Kuwait as a Case Study. Resources 2024, 13, 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13090118.
22. Thiedemann, T.M.; Wark, M. A Compact Review of Current Technologies for Carbon Capture as Well as Storing and Utilizing the Captured CO₂. Processes 2025, 13, 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13010283.

 

 

3D. Also, in addition to patents, it would be worth considering the number of publications on these topics, because not all scientists consider a patent a reliable way of presenting the result of their scientific work. For example, in Russia, scientists prefer to publish their research results in journals rather than apply for patents, because many scientific grants use publications rather than patents as key performance indicators. Russia also has its own national patent database, which is not known abroad.

 

RESPONSE:

The author thanks the Reviewer. This observation has improved the quality of the article. The text has been modified in several sections to clarify these aspects, with the inclusion of new references. It now reads:

 

Introduction (lines 86-97)

“Patents are a traditional indicator for assessing technology readiness levels (TRL), particularly at levels 4–5 [29]. Their use, in combination with composite indicators, has been recommended and guided by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as it enables the comparison of output indicators across different dimensions [30]. This approach has been applied to various fields, including food technology (SDG 2) [31] and biotechnology [32].

Recently, the TRL 4–5 levels of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) have been assessed using patent-based composite indicators for the period between 2002 and 2021. The results indicate that both BRICS and non-BRICS countries are self-sufficient in EOR, ensuring a responsible and low-impact energy transition [33]. However, the assessment of EOR&Env techniques during the same period revealed that only approximately 5% of EOR patents incorporated environmental protection technologies [34].”

 

Materials and Methods (lines 145-147)

The link for the database coverage was added (Russian patents since 1993):

40. Coverage Worldwide European Patent Office Database. Available online: https://static.orbit.com/imagination/orbit_welcome/prd/coverage/coverage.htm (accessed on 12 March 2025).

 

Results and Discussion (lines 275-278)

“In the case of countries with a high number of articles relative to their population potential, this effect may also be attributed to researchers being encouraged to publish articles, as publications serve as key indicators for securing research grants.”

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf