Assessment on operation conditions of CH₄ dry reforming membrane reactor to produce H₂

Abstract

Biogas is composed of CH₄ and CO₂ which are produced by the action of anaerobic microorganisms on raw materials such as garbage, livestock excretion, and sewage sludge. It is expected to source for renewable H₂. This study proposes the biogas dry reforming membrane reactor to produce H₂ for use in fuel cells. Pd/Cu alloy (Cu of 40 wt%) membrane is used to enhance the performance of the biogas dry reforming reactor by H₂ separation. The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of operating parameters such as feed ratio of sweep gas, pressure in the reactor, and reaction temperature on the performance of the biogas dry reforming membrane reactor. As a result, it is revealed that H₂ selectivity and CO selectivity increases and decreases respectively, when the reaction temperature increases, irrespective of molar ratio of supplied CH₄:CO₂. It has been found that the optimum feed ratio of sweep gas to produce H₂ is 1, irrespective of molar ratio of supplied CH₄:CO₂.