A ceramic-membrane-based methane combustion reactor with tailored function of simultaneous separation of carbon dioxide from Nitrogen

Today, industry has become more dependent on natural gases and combustion processes, creating a tremendous pressure to reduce their emissions. Although the current methods such as chemical looping combustion (CLC) and pure oxygen combustion have several advantages, there are still many limitations. A ceramic membrane based methane combustion reactor is an environmentally friendly technique for heat and power generation. This work investigates the performance of a perovskite-type SrSc_0.1Co_0.9O_3-δ (SSC) membrane reactor for the catalytic combustion of methane. For this purpose, the mixed ionic and electronic conducting SSC oxygen-permeable planar membrane was prepared by a dry-pressing technique, and the SSC powder catalyst was spray coated on the permeation side of the membrane. Then, the prepared SSC membrane with the catalyst was used to perform the catalytic combustion of methane. The oxygen permeability of the membrane reactor was studied. Also, the methane conversion rates and CO₂ selectivity at various test conditions were reported.