Application of NaA Membrane Reactor for Methanol Synthesis in CO2 Hydrogenation at Low Pressure

Abstract

Abstract The process of CO2 hydrogenation into methanol has recently attracted more attention for reducing CO2, a main green-house gas in the atmosphere. In addition, methanol can be used as fuel or a basic chemical to satisfy the growing demand for energy in the world. In this study, the performance of NaA membrane reactor on the methanol yield and methanol selectivity obtained from the CO2 hydrogenation process was evaluated at different reaction conditions by varying the temperature, pressure, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and H2/CO2 ratio. The results show that the methanol yields and methanol selectivities obtained from the membrane reactor (MR) at all reaction conditions are higher than those from the traditional reactor (TR). The ratio of methanol yield in MR over methanol yield in TR are varied from 1.4 to 1.7 depending on the operating conditions. It is also observed that the use of membrane reactor is more efficient at low GHSV and the temperature in the range of 220–240°C.