Combined methane and ethanol reforming for pure hydrogen production through Pd-based membranes

Combined methane and ethanol steam reforming has been carried out in a conventional reformer filled with a Pt (0.5% wt.) catalyst bed. The reformer has been coupled with a multi-membrane module, where pure hydrogen has been recovered in the shell side by vacuum pumping. The experiments - that mainly aimed at measuring the hydrogen yield - have been carried out in the reaction (lumen) pressure range of 100-500 kPa, while the temperature of the reformer and the Pd/Ag membranes module has been of 760 degrees C and 350 degrees C, respectively. The water/ethanol/methane molar ratio has varied in the different experiments (10/1/0, 11/1/0.25, 14/1/1 and 26/1/4). Such water/ethanol mixtures have been investigated in order to simulate the treatment of dilute bioethanol with methane. The hydrogen yield decreases when the molar ratio methane/ethanol increases while - in presence of a high water excess (feed molar ratio water/ethanol/methane of 26/1/4) - a hydrogen yield up to 35% at 500 kPa can be achieved. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.