Robust ceramic membranes for production of hydrogen and aromatic compounds originated from biogas

Direct conversion of methane to chemicals has been considered the "holy grale" with process chemistry. The problems are low yields and deactivation. These issues can be solved by integrating hydrogen permselective membranes. The project has through optimization of the membrane, catalyst and process conditions found a process than can give high efficiencies also in a scaled up system. Process controll under membrane fabrication have been improtant as even defects on the nano-scale can result in coke formation. For the catalyst we have increased knowledge with respect to structur, acidity, type of metal and deactivation. As expected based on utilized theory, The overall perforamnce increased when up-scaling to a multi-tube reactor - in line with expectation based on underlying theory.

Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of organic material constitutes a large fraction of the renewable hydrocarbon resource, but its full economic and environmental potential is not yet realized. The carbon footprint and the economic potential can there fore be much improved if we can directly upgrade biogas to liquid transportation fuels and valuable green chemicals. The overall aim of the RoMA proposal is to capitalize on biogas as an advantageous economic and environmental opportunity by providing nov el proton ceramic membrane reactors that directly convert biogas to fuels and chemicals in a one-step catalytic membrane reactor process. The major advances proposed focus on using recent knowledge to engineer and control the composition and configuration of materials at the nano scale so as to make membrane reactors that are compatible with biogas with as little clean up as possible. Nano innovation will take place on several levels such as, manufacturing of ceramic nano-crystalline membranes and nano-im pregnated zeolite catalysts, modification of nano-engineered ceramic membranes for specific separation and control of reaction conditions and chemical state of the catalyst coupled to medium/long term operation on biogas. In this proposal we build on the advancement made by Protia, NTNU, UiO and SINTEF in fabrication of robust ceramic proton conductors, research on bifunctional catalysts for methane to aromatics process and development of catalytic membrane reactor testing procedures. The project will edu cate 1 PhD at UiO.