Recent Advances in Membrane Technology for Multifunctional Reactors and Gas Purification

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2021) | Viewed by 7653

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: membrane reactors; membrane technology; sorption-enhanced proccesses; hydrogen production from renewable sources; CO2 capture; biogas upgrading
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The search of alternatives to fossil fuels along with the need to reduce CO2 emissions has gained a lot of interest in the last years. In this context, the research on hydrogen production, as a clean fuel, from a renewable source and CO2 capture and conversion to valuable chemicals (methanol. DME, liquid fuels, etc.) has been intensively growing. The use of selective membranes in multifunctional reactors is considered as a valuable way to improve the efficiency and performance of both hydrogen production and purification, and CO2 conversion to valuable chemicals processes.

This special issue aims to gather research work on recent advances in membrane technology and their application in membrane reactors and/or gas purification processes.  The main topics addressed in this special issue are:

  • Membrane preparation and characterisation
  • Membrane reactor technologies applied to H2 production and purification from renewable sources and/or CO2 valorisation,
  • Biogas upgrading based on membrane technology.

Dr. Miguel Angel Soria
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Membrane reactor
  • Hydrogen production
  • CO2 utilisation
  • Pd-based membrane
  • Process intensification
  • Biogas upgrading
  • Reforming reactions
  • Water-gas shift

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5032 KiB  
Article
Preparation, Characterization, and Activity of Pd/PSS-Modified Membranes in the Low Temperature Dry Reforming of Methane with and without Addition of Extra Steam
by Cecilia Mateos-Pedrero, Miguel A. Soria, Antonio Guerrero-Ruíz and Inmaculada Rodríguez-Ramos
Membranes 2021, 11(7), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11070518 - 9 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2400
Abstract
The external surface of a commercial porous stainless steel (PSS) was modified by either oxidation in air at varying temperatures (600, 700, and 800 °C) or coating with different oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2). Among [...] Read more.
The external surface of a commercial porous stainless steel (PSS) was modified by either oxidation in air at varying temperatures (600, 700, and 800 °C) or coating with different oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2). Among them, PSS-ZrO2 appears as the most suitable carrier for the synthesis of the Pd membrane. A composite Pd membrane supported on the PSS-ZrO2 substrate was prepared by the electroless plating deposition method. Supported Ru catalysts were first evaluated for the low-temperature methane dry reforming (DRM) reaction in a continuous flow reactor (CR). Ru/ZrO2-La2O3 catalyst was found to be active and stable, so it was used in a membrane reactor (MR), which enhances the methane conversions above the equilibrium values. The influence of adding H2O to the feed of DRM was investigated over a Ru/ZrO2-La2O3 catalyst in the MR. Activity results are compared with those measured in a CR. The addition of H2O into the feed favors other reactions such as Water-Gas Shift (RWGS) and Steam Reforming (SR), which occur together with DRM, resulting in a dramatic decrease of CO2 conversion and CO production, but a marked increase of H2 yield. Full article
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9 pages, 1698 KiB  
Article
Polymer–Ceramic Composite Membranes for Water Removal in Membrane Reactors
by Ester Juarez, Javier Lasobras, Jaime Soler, Javier Herguido and Miguel Menéndez
Membranes 2021, 11(7), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11070472 - 26 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2261
Abstract
Methanol can be obtained through CO2 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. [...] Read more.
Methanol can be obtained through CO2 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, CO2, and water at temperatures typical for methanol synthesis. We show that this membrane can achieve selective permeation of water under such harsh conditions, and thus is an alternative candidate for use in membrane reactors for processes where water is one of the products and the yield is limited by thermodynamic equilibrium. Full article
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9 pages, 3079 KiB  
Article
Bench-Scale Membrane Reactor for Methylcyclohexane Dehydrogenation Using Silica Membrane Module
by Masahiro Seshimo, Hiromi Urai, Kazuaki Sasa, Hitoshi Nishino, Yuichiro Yamaguchi, Ryoichi Nishida and Shin-ichi Nakao
Membranes 2021, 11(5), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11050326 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2466
Abstract
Methylcyclohexane-toluene system is one of the most promising methods for hydrogen transport/storage. The methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation can be exceeded by the equilibrium conversion using membrane reactor. However, the modularization of the membrane reactor and manufacturing longer silica membranes than 100 mm are little developed. [...] Read more.
Methylcyclohexane-toluene system is one of the most promising methods for hydrogen transport/storage. The methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation can be exceeded by the equilibrium conversion using membrane reactor. However, the modularization of the membrane reactor and manufacturing longer silica membranes than 100 mm are little developed. Herein, we have developed silica membrane with practical length by a counter-diffusion chemical vapor deposition method, and membrane reactor module bundled multiple silica membranes. The developed 500 mm-length silica membrane had high hydrogen permselective performance (H2 permeance > 1 × 10−6 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1, H2/SF6 selectivity > 10,000). In addition, we successfully demonstrated effective methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation using a flange-type membrane reactor module, which was installed with 6 silica membranes. The results indicated that conversion of methylcyclohexane was around 85% at 573 K, whereas the equilibrium conversion was 42%. Full article
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