Abstract
Methanol can be obtained through CO2 hydrogenation in a membrane reactor with higher yield or lower pressure than in a conventional packed bed reactor. In this study, we explore a new kind of membrane with the potential suitability for such membrane reactors. Silicone–ceramic composite membranes are synthetized and characterized for their capability to selectively remove water from a mixture containing hydrogen, CO2, and water at temperatures typical for methanol synthesis. We show that this membrane can achieve selective permeation of water under such harsh conditions, and thus is an alternative candidate for use in membrane reactors for processes where water is one of the products and the yield is limited by thermodynamic equilibrium.
Highlights
Production of methanol from CO2 and renewable hydrogen could be the solution for two of the main problems facing humankind—global warming from greenhouse effects and the depletion of fossil fuels
Methanol may be used directly as a fuel in internal combustion vehicles or can be transformed to dimethylether (DME); which can be used as fuel; transformed to gasoline by the well-known methanol-to-gasoline process (MTG); or transformed to olefins (methanol to olefins (MTO) process)
The two main difficulties for the production of renewable methanol as a substitute for fossil fuels are: (a) the high price of renewable hydrogen (i.e., H2 produced from renewable energies, such as solar or eolic) compared with hydrogen from non-renewable sources; (b) the high operation pressure, which favors the use of very large-scale plants and is hardly compatible with the use of local and renewable energy sources
Summary
Production of methanol from CO2 and renewable hydrogen could be the solution for two of the main problems facing humankind—global warming from greenhouse effects and the depletion of fossil fuels. This idea was proposed by the Olah [1,2,3] and is being incorporated in several demonstration plants, both in operation [4] and in construction [5,6]. Removal of a reaction product increases the reaction rate for any reversible reaction This principle is widely used for process intensification with membrane reactors [11]. The reaction kinetics were too slow and the spatial time needed was too large compared with the industrial needs
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