Chapter 11 Current developments and future research in catalytic membrane reactors

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the current developments and future research in catalytic membrane reactors. Catalytic membrane reactors have been fully demonstrated at the laboratory scale, the most important systems studied being dehydrogenation and oxidation reaction. Membrane reactors combine two different functions—that is, reaction and separation into a single operation. Solid oxide type membranes are the dense inorganic membranes that have been used in membrane reactor applications. These materials (solid oxide electrolytes) are also finding widespread application in the area of fuel cells and as electrochemical oxygen pumps and sensors. The applications of membrane reactors involve the equilibrium-limited dehydrogenation reactions and the efficient removal of hydrogen. To facilitate the transport across the membrane in laboratory studies, a sweep gas or a vacuum in the permeate side or a pressure gradient is applied across the membrane. The use of solid oxide membranes in partial oxidation reactions aims to avoid the complete oxidation of the desired partial oxidation products. When compared to similar efforts using microporous membranes, solid oxide membrane reactors are at a disadvantage (except for reactions that take place at high temperatures) because oxygen transport through the oxide lattice is generally low when compared with the permeability of porous materials.