Catalytic hollow fibre membrane micro-reactor: High purity H 2 production by WGS reaction

Abstract

In this study, CuO/CeO 2 catalysts with a Cu content ranging from 5% to 40% were synthesized by sol–gel Pechini method and were tested in a fixed-bed reactor for water gas shift (WGS) reaction. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, N 2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K ( S BET) and H 2-TPR. Based on the catalytic activity results, 10% CuO/CeO 2, identified to be the most active catalyst, was deposited inside finger-like regions of an Al 2O 3 hollow fibre support for the further development of both catalytic hollow fibre micro-reactor (CHFMR) and catalytic hollow fibre membrane micro-reactor (CHFMMR) where Pd or Pd/Ag membrane was coated on the outer layer of the Al 2O 3 hollow fibre using a single or multilayer electroless plating (ELP) technique. The prepared catalytic membranes were characterized by SEM, EDX, and pure H 2 and Ar permeation. Also, a comparative study of the CO conversion obtained in the WGS reaction as a function of the reaction temperature (from 200 °C to 500 °C) in a fixed-bed reactor, a CHFMR, a Pd-CHFMMR and a Pd/Ag-CHFMMR, was performed showing that the conversion was highest in the Pd/Ag-CHFMMR.