(502f) Bench-Scale Multi-Tubular Membrane Contactor Reactor for Fuel Production

There is currently no efficient small-scale gas-to-liquid (GTL) technology available to convert syngas from distributed biomass and stranded gas resources into valuable products. As a result, natural gas generated during crude oil production, known as "associated gas," is often flared and wasted, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and public health concerns. Biomass gasification holds promise for producing liquid fuels and chemicals from renewable sources, but the lack of advanced syngas conversion technologies also hinders its potential. To address this gap, we have developed a novel membrane contactor reactor for methanol synthesis (MeS-MCR) that integrates catalytic reaction with in-situ product removal for efficient syngas-to-methanol conversion. The reactor employs a mesoporous inorganic membrane, specifically modified to serve as an interface between the reaction zone (shell-side) and a sweep liquid (permeate-side) that has a high solubility toward the main products. This design enables selective extraction of methanol and water during the reaction, effectively shifting the thermodynamic equilibrium and significantly enhancing carbon conversion compared to conventional packed-bed reactors.

Lab-scale experiments, supported by a validated simulation package, confirmed that MCR has a significantly higher carbon conversion compared to the conventional packed-bed reactors [1, 2]. In parallel, we performed a detailed techno-economic analysis (TEA) which demonstrated that the MeS-MCR process is both cost- and energy-efficient compared to other potential competitive methanol synthesis technologies [3]. Motivated by these results, we scaled up the system and constructed a bench-scale MeS-MCR unit with a methanol production capacity of 5 liters per day. The bench-scale unit paves the way toward commercialization and also allows systematic evaluation of a wide range of operating parameters, including pressure, temperature, space velocity, membrane surface area to feed flowrate ratio, and sweep solvent flowrate. These studies provide valuable insights for optimizing system performance. Initial experimental results from the bench-scale system confirm the enhancements observed at lab scale, further validating the effectiveness of the technology. Comprehensive experimental data, along with comparisons to modeling results, will be presented at the conference.

References

1. Zebarjad, F.S., et al., Experimental investigation of the application of ionic liquids to methanol synthesis in membrane reactors. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2019. 58(27): p. 11811-11820.
2. Zebarjad, F.S., et al., Simulation of methanol synthesis in a membrane-contactor reactor. Journal of Membrane Science, 2022. 661: p. 120677.
3. Bazmi, M., et al., Waste CO2 capture and utilization for methanol production via a novel membrane contactor reactor process: techno-economic analysis (TEA), and comparison with other existing and emerging technologies. Chemical Engineering and Processing-Process Intensification, 2024: p. 109825.