Rh/La2O3 catalysts for hydrogen production using simultaneous CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of methane in a membrane reactor

E. A. LOMBARDO, J. F. MÚNERA, L. M. CORNAGLIA

Houston, Texas, USA

Congreso; 20th North American Catalysis Society Meeting; 2007

To produce ultrapure H2, the dry reforming (DRM) reaction can be carried out in a membrane reactor. This system offers the possibility of overcoming the thermodynamic limitations of this endothermic reaction, allowing the attainment of higher methane conversions at lower temperatures.  To decrease  the energy consumption,  its coupling with the exothermic partial oxidation (POM) has been considered. Recently, several studies related to the application of membrane reactors to the dry reforming have achieved higher conversions with respect to a conventional fixed-bed reactor. Moreover, dense Pd/Ag membranes exhibit 100% selectivity towards hydrogen, so that ultra pure H2 could be produced. In this work, the membrane reactor performance for simultaneous DRM and POM reactions is evaluated comparing the behavior in a fixed-bed reactor.