Catalytic Membrane Reactors: The Industrial Applications Perspective

Abstract

Catalytic membrane reactors have been widely used in different production industries around the world. Applying a catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) reduces waste generation from a cleaner process perspective and reduces energy consumption in line with the process intensification strategy. A CMR combines a chemical or biochemical reaction with a membrane separation process in a single unit by improving the performance of the process in terms of conversion and selectivity. The core of the CMR is the membrane which can be polymeric or inorganic depending on the operating conditions of the catalytic process. Besides, the membrane can be inert or catalytically active. The number of studies devoted to applying CMR with higher membrane area per unit volume in multi-phase reactions remains very limited for both catalytic polymeric and inorganic membranes. The various bio-based catalytic membrane system is also used in a different commercial application. The opportunities and advantages offered by applying catalytic membrane reactors to multi-phase systems need to be further explored. In this review, the preparation and the application of inorganic membrane reactors in the different catalytic processes as water gas shift (WGS), Fisher Tropsch synthesis (FTS), selective CO oxidation (CO SeLox), and so on, have been discussed.

Construction of membrane reactors coupled with conjugated network hollow microspheres for cascade production of block copolymers

“…As a process that amalgamates heterogeneous catalysis with membrane separation in a single unit, membrane reactors have been demonstrated to be a promising alternative to batch reactors in small molecule and polymer synthesis with primitive adaptation utilized for thermally-triggered systems and expanded to include photochemical approaches. [15][16][17][18] This actualization can be extensively ascribed to improved scalability, control over process parameters, enhanced reliability, and simplied synthetic protocols. In addition, the membrane reactor has inspired a scalable and sustainable approach toward chemical production and processing, offering unbridled potential for increasing reaction efficiency and addressing limitations in product purication.…”

A Review of the CFD Modeling of Hydrogen Production in Catalytic Steam Reforming Reactors

“…There are two main types of membrane reactors: the catalytic membrane reactor and the inert membrane reactor. A catalytic membrane reactor has a membrane made of a catalyst-containing material, which means that the membrane itself takes part in the reaction; some of the reaction products pass through the membrane and exit the reactor on the permeable side [42,43]. By contrast, the inert membrane reactor allows catalyst pellets to flow with the reactants on the feed side [44,45].…”

Zeolite-based catalytic membrane reactors for thermo-catalytic conversion of CO2

“…As for the membrane materials, polymers have been applied for CO 2 -involved reactions, such as Nafion®, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyacrylic acid (PAA) ( Struis et al., 1996 ; Ountaksinkul et al., 2019 ). However, polymeric membranes suffer from poor thermal stability and the trade-off between selectivity and permeability ( Algieri et al., 2021 ). In comparison, inorganic materials like silica-alumina composites and zeolites are widely developed as an alternative ( Diban et al., 2013a ; Farsi and Jahanmiri, 2014 ).…”