Progress in Catalytic Membrane Reactors for High Purity Hydrogen Production

As a kind of ideal fuel for fuel cell, hydrogen must be satisfied with the enough high purity. To produce high purity hydrogen at a low cost and large scale method has become a key research focus in the industrialization of fuel―cell technology. The membrane catalytic technology with catalysis and separation dual functions has been developed in recent years, which is a good method to produce high purity hydrogen. Based on the latest developments in the membrane catalytic reaction fields, the advantages, composition and type of membrane catalytic reactor are summarized. The preparation techniques, advantages and classification of inorganic membrane materials are described. Especially, the progress and application for high purity hydrogen production are reviewed in three kinds of catalytic membrane reactors, including oxygen―permeable membrane reactor, hydrogen―permeation membrane reactor and double―membranes reactor. The existing problems of catalytic membrane and membrane catalytic reactor in the industrialization process of hydrogen production using the membrane catalytic technology are also discussed. Additionally, the prospects of membrane catalytic reactors for hydrogen production is proposed.