PROMECA · PROcess intensification through the development of innovative MEmbranes and CAtalysts

PROcess intensification through the development of innovative MEmbranes and CAtalysts

The transition from fossils to renewable feedstocks is one of the main challenges in course worldwide in both industrial and energy production. The PROMECA project fits into this context by proposing bioethanol as renewable feedstock for hydrogen production, and it is developing suitable process schemes for both centralized and distributed hydrogen production. These novel schemes are based on the introduction of innovative structured catalysts for the ethanol steam reforming and water gas shift reaction, and of Pd-membranes for pure hydrogen separation by which the process can achieve a better performance than a conventional process. In such a way the overall environmental benefit is dual, being represented by the use of a renewable feedstock instead of fossil, and by an enhanced process performance through an action of Process Intensification (PI). Among several industrial processes, hydrogen production aroused great interest in the research and industrial scenarios, due to the possibility, in particular aiming to exploit hydrogen as an energy vector (also through distributed generation). On the other hand, up to now, really sustainable hydrogen production (i.e. with lower environmental impact and the use of new raw materials) represents one of the main obstacles toward a true hydrogen-based economy. The technology of Membrane Reactor (MR) plays an important role in the PI and is based on a device combining a membrane-based separation and a catalytic chemical reaction in one unit. Every catalytic industrial process can potentially benefit from the introduction of catalytic membranes and membrane reactors instead of the conventional reactors. Today membrane reactors are being proposed for a variety of reactions (especially in the H2 production processes). But there are still several barriers to be overcome for their successful deployment at industrial level. The PROMECA project’s strategic objective is to substantially contribute to the increase of knowledge, skills, and competitiveness in the European research area and industry, through the design and deployment of a thorough plan of research and secondment of researchers between top-level academia and industrial partners, thus advancing the knowledge on membrane reactors for process intensification in hydrogen production and relevant applications in a multidisciplinary way, thus contributing to the main European Policies on innovation (e.g. Europe 2020 and Innovation Union flagship initiative).

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз