SBIR Phase I: Zeolite Membrane Module For High-Temperature Hydrogen Separation

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks the development of highly selective, energy efficient H2 separation technologies. The research addresses the development of low cost, high-performance zeolite membrane modules for high-temperature H2 separation from CO and/or light hydrocarbons such as CH4. The availability of such membrane modules for high-temperature hydrogen separation in industrial processes would: (1) improve the cost efficiency and/or energy efficiency of hydrogen separation processes currently performed; and (2) provide an enabling technology to make hydrogen separation economically viable in a number of processes. Such processes include many with very large potential volumes and are predominant in the petroleum refining and petrochemicals industrials, such as synthesis gas H2/CO ratio adjustment, H2 recovery from hydroprocessing purge streams, fuel cell H2 purification, membrane reactors for dehydrogenation etc. However, to date, such membrane-based high-temperature H2 separation methods do not exist on a commercial scale due to lack of low-cost, high-performance membranes. Large-scale commercial use of membranes for gas separations currently is limited to organic polymeric membrane modules in low-temperature service. This program is aimed to develop low cost, high-performance zeolite membrane modules for high-temperature H2 separation from CO and/or light hydrocarbons such as CH4. The membrane modules which will be developed will consist of a highly selective zeolite top layer, in situ synthesized on high-surface-area honeycomb ceramic monoliths with appropriate underlying membrane structures. Because of the unique structural properties of the zeolite material used, the membrane modules fabricated are expected to have high selectivity and permeance for high temperature H2 separation