Catalytic membrane system for converting biomass to hydrogen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017283721-A1
Application number	US-201515509734-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

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 O 2 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 O 2 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 catalytic membrane system for converting biomass to H 2 , the system comprising:
a gasification reactor disposed in which are one or more hollow fiber membranes for receiving air, one or more first containers, and a first catalyst confined in the one or more first containers, the one or more hollow fiber membranes selectively allowing O 2 , not N 2 , to permeate therethrough and the first catalyst capable of facilitating a reaction between the tar and steam, whereby, upon introduction of both air, through the one or more hollow fiber membranes, and steam, directly, to the gasification reactor, biomass placed in the gasification reactor reacts with steam and the O 2 permeating through the one or more hollow fiber membranes to produce tar and a syngas containing H 2 and CO; and the tar thus produced, in the presence of the first catalyst, reacts with the steam to produce more syngas containing H 2 and CO.

2 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a water gas shift reactor disposed in which are one or more second containers, a second catalyst confined in the one or more second containers, and one or more hollow metal-based membranes, the second catalyst capable of facilitating a reaction between a syngas and steam and the one or more hollow metal-based membranes selectively allowing H 2 , but not CO 2 , to permeate therethrough, wherein the gasification reactor is connected in fluid communication with the one or more second containers, whereby the syngas containing H 2 and CO produced in the gasification reactor is transported to the one or more second containers to react with steam in the presence of the second catalyst to produce H 2 and CO 2 , and the H 2 thus produced selectively permeates through the one or more hollow metal-based membranes while the CO 2 thus produced remains in the one or more second containers.

3 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hollow fiber membranes each include BaBi 0.05 Co 0.95−x Nb x O 3−δ , in which 0≦x≦0.2.

4 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more hollow fiber membranes each are formed of BaBi 0.05 Co 0.8 Nb 0.15 O 3−δ .

5 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more hollow fiber membranes each have a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

6 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the first catalyst contains a metal or metals selected from the group consisting of Ni, Fe, Co, Cu, La, Ca, Mg, Sr, Al and Si; or an oxide or oxides thereof.

7 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the first catalyst is a nickel-based catalyst.

8 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 7 , wherein the nickel-based catalyst is a Ni/phyllosilicate catalyst, a Ni—La/SBA-15 catalyst, a Ni/Fe 2 O 3 —Al 2 O 3 catalyst, or a Ni/perovskite catalyst.

9 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 8 , wherein the nickel-based catalyst is a Ni/phyllosilicate catalyst having a Ni content of 5-45 wt %.

10 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 8 , wherein the Ni—La/SBA-15 catalyst has a Ni content of 5-10 wt % and a La content of 0.5-2 wt %.

11 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more hollow fiber membranes each are formed of Pd alloy on Al 2 O 3 -YSZ. (YSZ stands for Yttria stabilized Zirconia—Y 2 O 3 +Zr 2 O 3 )

12 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more hollow fiber membranes each have a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

13 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 2 , wherein the second catalyst contains a metal or metals selected from the group consisting of Ni, Fe, Co, Cu, Li, Na, K, Ce, Al and Si; or an oxide or oxides thereof.

14 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 2 , wherein the second catalyst is a bimetallic nickel-based catalyst.

15 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 14 , wherein the nickel-based 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.

16 . The catalytic membrane system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more hollow metal-based membranes each are a palladium alloy composite membrane.

17 . A process of converting biomass to H 2 and CO 2 , the process comprising:
introducing air into a hollow fiber membrane that selectively allows O 2 , not N 2 , to permeate therethrough; mixing the O 2 permeating through the hollow fiber membrane and steam to react with biomass to produce syngas, tar, and ash; reforming the tar in the presence of a first catalyst to produce more syngas; mixing the syngas and steam to react in the presence of a second catalyst to generate H 2 and CO 2 ; and allowing the H 2 to selectively permeate through a hollow metal-based membrane, thereby separating the H 2 from the CO 2 .

18 . The process of claim 17 , wherein the permeation of I- 1 2 through the hollow fiber membrane is conducted at 400° C. to 700° C.

19 . The process of claim 17 , wherein the permeation of O 2 through the hollow fiber membrane is conducted at 650° C. to 900° C.

20 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the hollow fiber membrane is formed of BaBi 0.05 Co 0.8 Nb 0.15 O 3−δ and has a thickness thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

21 . The process of claim 17 , 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.

22 . The process of claim 17 , 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.

23 . The process of claim 18 , 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 Zhingang

Classifications

• B01D2053/224

  with hollow fibres · CPC title

• C10J2300/0976

  as steam · CPC title

• C10J2300/0959

  Oxygen · CPC title

• B01J23/755

  Nickel · CPC title

• B01D63/02 Primary

  Hollow fibre modules · CPC title