Performance of Pd composite membrane prepared by organic–inorganic method in WGS membrane reactor

Abstract

ABSTRACTH2 production via water–gas shift (WGS) reaction in a Pd membrane reactor prepared by the electroless plating technique (ELP) “organic–inorganic” method was investigated. Pd nanoparticles embedded polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as a polymer template during the activation step. Gas permeation results showed an infinite selectivity for H2/N2 with a H2 flux of 0.004–0.016 mol/m2·s depending on operating conditions while it decreased until 0.0005 mol/m2·s for gas mixtures. Furthermore, WGS membrane reactor experiments showed a maximum CO conversion of 98.5% with a H2 recovery of 16% at 450°C. The membrane performance was consistent during WGS catalytic membrane reactors (CMR) tests, thereby confirming the stability of the obtained membrane.