A novel catalytic membrane reactor with homologous exsolution-based perovskite catalyst

The applications of supported metal catalysts in the catalytic membrane reactor based on oxygen permeable membrane are hindered by the limited control over interaction between membrane and support, and agglomeration of metal particles at a high temperature operation (>900 °C). A new concept is proposed for designing a perovskite catalytic membrane reactor with homologous perovskite catalyst that hold well-anchored nanoparticles. It has demonstrated that evenly distributed and size-tailored large population of FeNi₃ nanoparticles can grow in-situ from the Sr_0.9(Fe_0.81Ta_0.09Ni_0.1)O_3-δ parent lattice after a simple reduction treatment in the catalytic membrane reactor. This catalytic membrane reactor shows a superior catalytic activity over the fixed-bed reactor for partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas. Membrane severs to distribute oxygen, control the oxygen partial pressure and effectively prevent the dissolution of metal particles during oxidation reactions and enables nearly 100% conversion of methane and selectivity to hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the partial oxidation of methane. The hydrogen/carbon monoxide ratio is 2.2 and very close to the theoretical value. Catalytic membrane reactor is where the exsolution-based perovskite catalysts are at their most effective.