A protonic ceramic membrane reactor for the production of hydrogen from coal steam gasification

Abstract

In the present work, the feasibility of producing and simultaneously separating hydrogen from coal steam gasification (CSG) in a protonic ceramic membrane reactor (PCMR) is demonstrated. A Cu/BZCY81/Ni-BZCY72 tubular cell was employed as the PCMR for the studies. Saturated steam was fed over a mixture of powdered carbon black and K2CO3 gasification catalyst, which was in contact with the Cu anode. At 600–700 °C, the electrochemical separation of generated H2 from the gasification chamber (anode) was found to enhance the reaction rate to H2 and CO2 by up to 60%. This novel approach to the steam gasification of carbon holds promise for the production of high purity H2 from coal- or biomass-based electrochemical processes at much lower operation temperatures, compared to the conventional thermochemical methods.