Catalytic membrane system for converting biomass to hydrogen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11008524-B2
Application number	US-201515509734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

A two-reactor catalytic system including a catalytic membrane gasification reactor and a catalytic membrane water gas shift reactor. The catalytic system, for converting biomass to hydrogen gas, features a novel gasification reactor containing both hollow fiber membranes that selectively allow O2 to permeate therethrough and a catalyst that facilitates tar reformation. Also disclosed is a process of converting biomass to H2. The process includes the steps of, among others, introducing air into a hollow fiber membrane; mixing the O2 permeating through the hollow fiber membrane and steam to react with biomass to produce syngas and tar; and reforming the tar in the presence of a catalyst to produce more syngas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process of converting biomass to H 2 and CO 2 , the process comprising:
step (1): introducing air into hollow fiber membranes that selectively allow O 2 , not N 2 , to continuously permeate therethrough, the hollow fiber membranes installed around the perimeter of a circle inside a gasification reactor and controlling the amount of O 2 flowing into the gasification reactor;
step (2): mixing the O 2 continuously permeating through the hollow fiber membranes and steam to react with biomass to produce syngas, tar, and ash, wherein the syngas contains H 2 and CO;
step (3): reforming the tar in the presence of a first catalyst to produce more syngas;
step (4): mixing the syngas produced in step (3) and steam to react in the presence of a second catalyst to generate H 2 and CO 2 ; and
step (5): allowing H 2 to selectively permeate through a hollow metal-based membrane, thereby separating the H 2 from the CO 2 .

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the permeation of H 2 through the hollow metal-based membrane is conducted at 400° C. to 700° C.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the permeation of O 2 through the hollow fiber membranes is conducted at 650° C. to 900° C.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the hollow fiber membranes are formed of BaBi 0.05 Co 0.8 Nb 0.15 O 3-δ and has a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first catalyst is a Ni/phyllosilicate catalyst having a Ni content of 5-45 wt %, a Ni—La/SBA-15 catalyst having a Ni content of 5-10 wt % and a La content of 0.5-2 wt %, a Ni/Fe 2 O 3 —Al 2 O 3 catalyst, or a Ni/perovskite catalyst.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second catalyst is a Ni—Cu/CeO 2 catalyst, a Ni—Na/CeO 2 catalyst, a Ni—Li/CeO 2 catalyst, a Ni—K/CeO 2 catalyst, or a Ni—Cu/SiO 2 catalyst.

7. The process of claim 2 , wherein the hollow metal-based membrane is a palladium alloy composite membrane.

Assignees

• Nat Univ Singapore

Inventors

• Kawi Sibudjing
• Hidajat Kus
• Oemar Usman
• Jangam Ashok
• Ang Ming Li
• Kathiraser Yasotha
• Wang Zhigang

Classifications

• B01D63/02 Primary

  Hollow fibre modules · CPC title

• B01D71/02231

  Palladium · CPC title

• B01D71/0271

  Perovskites · CPC title

• B01D71/02232

  Nickel · CPC title

• B01J8/009

  Membranes, e.g. feeding or removing reactants or products to or from the catalyst bed through a membrane · CPC title