An integrated purification and production of hydrogen with a palladium membrane-catalytic reactor

In this paper, we presented an integrated production and purification process of hydrogen by the use of a defect-free palladium membrane. Hydrogen could be purified from a variety of mixtures providing the purity of 3-7 N depending on the feeding stream. The permeation parameters are accurately predicted by a separation model as established. The membrane is prepared by electroless plating and is stable among 300-400°C. Using an active catalyst, the rate of steam reforming of methanol was found to be significantly faster than that without a membrane module. In the steam reforming of methane, the reaction temperature was lowered to 500°C to achieve a conversion of 45%, which is 15% higher than the thermodynamic equilibrium conversion.