State-of-the-art adsorption and membrane separation processes for hydrogen production in the chemical and petrochemical industries

This review on the use of adsorption and membrane technologies in H-2 production is directed toward the chemical and petrochemical industries. The growing requirements for H-2 in chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining, and the newly emerging clean energy concepts will place greater demands on sourcing, production capacity and supplies of H-2. Currently, about 41 MM tons/yr of H-2 is produced worldwide, with 80% of it being produced from natural gas by steam reforming, partial oxidation and autothermal reforming. H-2 is used commercially to produce CO, syngas, ammonia, methanol, and higher alcohols, urea and hydrochloric acid. It is also used in Fischer Tropsch reactions, as a reducing agent (metallurgy), and to upgrade petroleum products and oils (hydrogenation). It has been estimated that the reforming of natural gas to produce H-2 consumes about 31,800 Btu/1b of H-2 produced at 331 psig based on 35.5 MM tons/yr production. It is further estimated that 450 trillion Btu/yr could be saved with a 20% improvement in just the H-2 separation and purification train after the H-2 reformer. Clearly, with the judicious and further use of adsorption or membrane technology, which are both classified as low energy separation processes, energy savings could be readily achieved in a reasonable time frame. To assist in this endeavor of fostering the development of new adsorption and membrane technologies suitable for H-2, CO and syngas production, the current industrial practice is summarized in terms of the key reforming and shift reactions and reactor conditions, along with the four most widely used separation techniques, i.e., absorption, adsorption, membrane, and cryogenic, to expose the typical conditions and unit processes involved in the reforming of methane. Since all of the reactions are reversible, the H-2 or CO productivity in each one of them is limited by equilibrium, which certainly provides for process improvement. Hence, the goal of this review is to foster the development of adsorption and membrane technologies that will economically augment in the near term and completely revamp in the far term a typical H-2, CO or syngas production plant that produces these gases from natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks. A review of the emerging literature concepts on evolving adsorption and membrane separations applicable to H-2 production is provided, with an emphasis placed on where the state-of-the-art is and where it needs to go. Recommendations for future research and development needs in adsorbent and membrane materials are discussed, and detailed performance requirements are provided. An emphasis is also placed on flow sheet design modification with adsorption or membrane units being added to existing plants for near term impact, and on new designs with complete flow sheet modification for new adsorption or membrane reactor/separators replacing current reactor and separator units in an existing plant for a longer term sustainable impact.