Theoretical Prediction of the Efficiency of Hydrogen Production via Alkane Dehydrogenation in Catalytic Membrane Reactor

The hydrogen economy is expected to dominate in the nearest future. Therefore, the most hydrogen-containing compounds are considered as potential pure hydrogen sources in order to achieve climate neutrality. On the other hand, alkanes are widely used to produce industrially important monomers via various routes, including dehydrogenation processes. Hydrogen is being produced as a by-product of these processes, so the application of efficient separation of hydrogen from the reaction mixture can give double benefits. Implementation of the dehydrogenation processes in the catalytic membrane reactor is that case. Since the use of dense metal membranes, which possess the highest perm-selectivity towards hydrogen, is complicated in practice, the present research is aimed at the optimization of the porous membrane characteristics. By means of a mathematical modeling approach, the effects of pore diameter on the hydrogen productivity and purity for the cases of ethane and propane dehydrogenation processes were analyzed. The pore size value of 0.45 nm was found to be crucial as far as the diffusion of both the alkane and alkene molecules through the membrane takes place.