Zeolite membrane reactors: from preparation to application in heterogeneous catalytic reactions

Abstract

Coupling chemical reaction with membrane separation or known as membrane reactor (MR) has been demonstrated by numerous studies and showed that this strategy has successfully addressed the goal of process intensification.

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

“…Physically, CO 2 can be captured via wet scrubbing ( Muchan et al., 2017 ), distillation ( Yousef et al., 2018 ), pressure swing adsorption (PSA) ( Riboldi and Bolland, 2017 ), and temperature/vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) ( Jiang et al., 2020 ). Compared with the above processes, membranes enjoy a few advantages for gas separations, such as continuous operation, cleanliness, high reliability, low cost, high energy efficiency, and flexibility ( Yeo et al., 2013 ; Vinoba et al., 2017 ; Jahan et al., 2018 ; Li et al., 2010 , 2012 , 2021b ; Kathiraser et al., 2013a , 2013b ; Chen et al., 2019 , 2020a ; Xu et al., 2021 ; Wenten et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2018 ). Apart from the physical separation, CO 2 conversion to value-added chemicals (e.g., syngas and methanol) has drawn increasing attention, including photo-, electro-, and thermo-catalytic processes ( Dewangan et al., 2020 ; Das et al., 2020b ; Shoji et al., 2020 ; Zhou et al., 2020a , 2020b ).…”

“…Despite several existing challenges, such as partial heat loss and selectivity issues at high temperatures ( Iwakiri et al., 2022 ), the membrane catalytic reactors have drawn tremendous interest since the catalytic reaction can possibly overcome the thermodynamic limitation, thus exhibiting an improved conversion efficiency and product yield ( Makertiharta et al., 2017 ). Also, the separation of products could be simplified in membrane reactors, favoring a large-scale application with a low operation cost and complexity ( Wenten et al., 2021 ). 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 ).…”

Fabrication and catalytic application of a tandem reactor module using Au nanoparticle-coated glass beads as packing materials

“…zeolites, metallic oxides and polymers) to form complex materials. 20,21 These complex materials can significantly weaken the aggregation of NPs and enhance their reusability.…”

Porous Membrane Reactors for Liquid-Phase Heterogeneous Catalysis

“…The coupling of membranes and biological reactions to construct membrane bioreactors and biocatalytic membrane reactors has been widely used, and many reviews have been summarized from various aspects. − The photocatalytic membrane reactors formed by the coupling of membranes and photocatalytic reactions have also been analyzed and summarized. , The coupling of membranes and liquid-phase catalytic reactions has focused on membrane reactors constructed based on the membrane separation function. , Very recently, several reviews have been published on membrane reactors in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. For example, zeolite membrane reactors that integrate zeolite membranes (belong to dense membranes) and catalytic reactions were reviewed, discussing the preparation of zeolite and catalytic zeolite membranes and the application in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. , An overview of modeling, simulation, and optimization of membrane reactors has just been published . With the development of membrane technology and the expansion of membranes’ application, the functions of the membranes are gradually diversified, including the contact, distribution, and separation, and the researchers have conducted a lot of new research.…”

“…For example, zeolite membrane reactors that integrate zeolite membranes (belong to dense membranes) and catalytic reactions were reviewed, discussing the preparation of zeolite and catalytic zeolite membranes and the application in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. 65,66 An overview of modeling, simulation, and optimization of membrane reactors has just been published. 67 With the development of membrane technology and the expansion of membranes' application, the functions of the membranes are gradually diversified, including the contact, distribution, and separation, and the researchers have conducted a lot of new research.…”