Greener and cheaper chemical processes
CMRs combine membrane-based separation and a catalytic chemical reaction in one device. More than 80 % of reactions in the chemical industry exploit catalysts to increase production rate and yield. Process intensification enabling significantly less energy consumption and waste for more cost-effective and sustainable technologies could have tremendous impact on industry and the EU economy. The EU-funded project DEMCAMER(opens in new window) has selected four chemical processes particularly important in the energy sector related to the production of pure hydrogen, liquid hydrocarbons and ethylene. The processes are autothermal reforming (ATR), Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction and oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). By the end of the second reporting period, the team has in its hands improved and more cost-effective catalysts and membranes for all four processes. Those for the lab-scale studies have been delivered to partners already and the materials for the pilot-scale reactors have been selected. The final catalysts for each of the pilot-scale CMRs all demonstrate superior activity, selectivity and stability compared to the current state of the art. Lab-scale CMRs for all four processes have been constructed and are in various stages of testing and demonstration. In particular, the FTS and WGS reactors have been demonstrated and the oxygen membranes of the ATR and OCM reactors are currently being optimised. Pilot prototypes have been designed for all but the FTS CMR (see figure on module of WGS pilot). Design of the membranes, catalysts and CMRs was supported throughout the development process by modelling and simulation. Completion of the project will be accompanied by life-cycle and environmental analyses, the preliminary results of which have already been obtained. The team wants to ensure safety against explosion. A risk assessment has been completed and safety recommendations proposed. Finally, the team has developed the framework for an upcoming socioeconomic analysis. DEMCAMER's multifunctional CMRs for the energy sector promise to improve the performance, cost effectiveness and sustainability of vitally important processes dependent on catalytic reactions. The models of catalysts, membranes and CMRs will continue to support development long after the project is completed.
