Co-Generation of Hydrogen and Propylene Via Proton Conducting Fuel Cell Under Intermediate Temperature

Abstract

Propylene and hydrogen are the two primary products of the proposed process. Propylene is an important raw material for polymer synthesis and chemical manufacture, while hydrogen is widely used in refining petroleum, treating metals, producing fertilizer, and processing foods. At present, the dominant technology for producing propylene is steam cracking, which is highly energy intensive and low energy efficiency due to side reactions and severe coke formation. This work demonstrates an electrochemical process which is achieved through a deprotonation reaction at the catalyst-assisted anode of an electrochemical membrane reactor (EMR) to co-produce propylene and hydrogen, using a highly active 3D ultra-porous nickel-free deficient layered perovskite anode, BaZrCe (BZC) electrolyte and Ni-cermet cathode. The electrochemical propane dehydrogenation reaction (PDR) performance was evaluated and optimized by varying reaction parameters, including current density, voltage, propane concentration, and temperature. Preliminary thermal catalytic measurements in a fixed bed flow reactor using a dilute (10%) propane gas as the feedstock. The results showed that propane conversion could reach up to 40% at 550°C. By reducing operation temperature to 350-500°C, the technology also improves the durability of the catalyst and the electrochemical system. Therefore, the proposed technology represents an innovative and significant improvement with respect to existing commercial processes.