Hydrogen production by water splitting coupled with the oxidation of coke oven gas in a catalytic oxygen transport membrane reactor

In this work, a cobalt-free Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe0.9Al0.1O3-& delta; (PSFA) catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) with asymmetrical configuration was prepared for hydrogen production by water splitting coupled with the oxidation of coke oven gas (COG) to syngas. A high H2 production rate of 9.8 mL min-1 cm-2 was obtained on the asymmetric PSFA membrane coated with Ni/Ce0.9Pr0.1O2 catalytic porous layers at 940 degrees C. The asymmetric PSFA CMR was operated steadily for 250 h under a strong reducing atmosphere containing H2S and CO2 impurities. Characterization of the membrane and the porous layers by SEM and XRD after long-term operation showed that the catalytic porous layer on both sides of the membrane not only provided good catalytic activity but also protected the PSFA dense layer against the corrosion of H2, CO2, and H2S. The experiments in this study indicate that this approach using asymmetrical PSFA CMR is feasible for producing CO-free hydrogen from COG.

Automated summary

In this study, a cobalt-free Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe0.9Al0.1O3 - δ (PSFA) catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) with an asymmetrical configuration was prepared for hydrogen production from water splitting and coke oven gas (COG) oxidation. The asymmetric PSFA CMR achieved a high H2 production rate of 9.8 mL min-1 cm-2 when coated with Ni/Ce0.9Pr0.1O2 catalytic porous layers at 940 degrees C. Long-term operation of the asymmetric PSFA CMR for 250 hours under a strong reducing atmosphere containing H2S and CO2 impurities demonstrated its stability and corrosion resistance.