Hydrogen production by steam methane reforming in membrane reactor equipped with Pd membrane deposited on NiO/YSZ/NiO multilayer-treated porous stainless steel

A Review of the Recent Advances in Composite Membranes for Hydrogen Generation Technologies

Keeping global warming at 2 degrees and below as stated in the "Paris Climate Agreement" and minimizing emissions can only be achieved by establishing a hydrogen (H2) ecosystem. Therefore, H2 technologies stand out in terms of accomplishing zero net emissions. Although H2 is the most abundant element in the known universe, molecular H2 is very rare in nature and must be produced. In H2 production, reforming natural gas and renewable hydrogen processes using electrolyzers comes to the fore. The key to all these technologies is to enhance production speed, performance, and system lifetime. At this point, composite membranes used in both processes come to the fore. This review article summarizes composite membrane technologies used in methane, ethanol, and biomass steam reforming processes, proton exchange membranes, alkaline water electrolysis, and hybrid sulfur cycle. In addition to these common H2 production technologies at large quantities, the innovative systems developed with solar energy integration for H2 generation were linked to composite membrane utilization. This study aimed to draw attention to the importance of composite membranes in H2 production. It aims to prepare a guiding summary for those working on membranes by combining the latest and cutting-edge studies on this subject.

Effect of air bubbling on electroless Pd plating for the practical application of hydrogen selective membranes

In this study, an air bubbling electroless plating (ELP) method was newly developed for the production of Pd composite membranes. The air bubble ELP alleviated the concentration polarization of Pd ions, making it possible to achieve a plating yield of 99.9% in 1 h and form very fine Pd grains with a uniform layer of ∼4.7 μm. A membrane with a diameter of 25.4 mm and a length of 450 mm was produced by the air bubbling ELP, achieving a hydrogen permeation flux of 4.0 × 10-1 mol m-2 s-1 and selectivity of ∼10 000 at 723 K with a pressure difference of 100 kPa. To confirm the reproducibility, six membranes were produced by the same method and assembled in a membrane reactor module to produce high-purity hydrogen by ammonia decomposition. Hydrogen permeation flux and selectivity of the six membranes at 723 K with a pressure difference of 100 kPa were 3.6 × 10-1 mol m-2 s-1 and ∼8900, respectively. An ammonia decomposition test with an ammonia feed rate of 12 000 mL min-1 showed that the membrane reactor produced hydrogen with >99.999% purity and a production rate of 1.01 Nm3 h-1 at 748 K with a retentate stream gauge pressure of 150 kPa and a permeation stream vacuum of -10 kPa. The ammonia decomposition tests confirmed that the newly developed air bubbling ELP method affords several advantages, such as rapid production, high ELP efficiency, reproducibility, and practical applicability.

Fabrication of Cocatalyst NiO-Modified BiVO4 Composites for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performances

In this work, NiO modified BiVO₄ (BiVO₄/NiO) nanocomposite was synthesized using hydrothermal and calcination method. The composite of BiVO₄/NiO, further employed as a low-overpotential photoanode, was consisted of BiVO₄ nanoparticles and NiO nanosheets, in which the BiVO₄ nanoelectrode served as the matrix for the attachment of NiO nanosheets. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) tests show that BiVO₄/NiO displayed improved PEC performance compared with pure BiVO₄. The BiVO₄/NiO photoanode delivers a photocurrent density of 1.2 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. RHE in a Na₂SO₄ electrolyte under an AM 1.5G solar simulator, which is 0.3 mA/cm² higher than pure BiVO₄ photoanode. Meanwhile, the onset potential also generates a 350 mV cathodic shift. The enhanced performance of the BiVO₄/NiO nanocomposite is attributed to NiO unique lamellar structure capable of providing a large number of active sites. Measurements of electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) illustrate that the enhanced PEC activities are ascribed to the improved charge carrier separation/transport and the promoted water oxidation kinetics furnished by the decoration of NiO cocatalyst.

Olive Mill Wastewater Valorization through Steam Reforming Using Multifunctional Reactors: Challenges of the Process Intensification

Olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is a polluting stream derived from the production of olive oil and is a source of environmental pollution; this is relevant in many countries around the world, but particularly in all the Mediterranean region where major producers are located. In this effluent, several pollutants are present—namely, sugars, fatty acids, and polyphenols, among others. Nowadays, to reduce the pollutant load, several treatment techniques are applied, but these technologies have numerous cost and efficiency problems. For this reason, the steam reforming of the OMW (OMWSR) presents as a good alternative, because this process decreases the pollutant load of the OMW and simultaneously valorizes the waste with the production of green H2, which is consistent with the perspective of the circular economy. Currently, the OMWSR is an innovative treatment alternative in the scientific field and with high potential. In the last few years, some groups have studied the OMWSR and used innovative reactor configurations, aiming to improve the process’ effectiveness. In this review, the OMW treatment/valorization processes, the last developments on catalysis for OMWSR (or steam reforming of similar species present in the effluent), as well as the last advances on OMWSR performed in multi-functional reactors are addressed.

Pore flow-through catalytic membrane reactor for steam methane reforming: characterization and performance

A new reactor configuration with low Pd loadings allows good methane conversion results at low temperatures.