Polymer-Ceramic Composite Membranes for Water Removal in Membrane Reactors.

Methanol can be obtained through CO hydrogenation in a membrane reactor with higher yield or lower pressure than in a conventional packed bed reactor. In this study, we explore a new kind of membrane with the potential suitability for such membrane reactors. Silicone-ceramic composite membranes are synthetized and characterized for their capability to selectively remove water from a mixture containing hydrogen, CO, and water at temperatures typical for methanol synthesis.

Pd-Ag Membrane Coupled to a Two-Zone Fluidized Bed Reactor (TZFBR) for Propane Dehydrogenation on a Pt-Sn/MgAl2O4 Catalyst.

Several reactor configurations have been tested for catalytic propane dehydrogenation employing Pt-Sn/MgAl2O4 as a catalyst. Pd-Ag alloy membranes coupled to the multifunctional Two-Zone Fluidized Bed Reactor (TZFBR) provide an improvement in propane conversion by hydrogen removal from the reaction bed through the inorganic membrane in addition to in situ catalyst regeneration. Twofold process intensification is thereby achieved when compared to the use of traditional fluidized bed reactors (FBR), where coke formation and thermodynamic equilibrium represent important process limitations.