Membrane-Assisted CPO: A New Sustainable Syngas Process

A new process scheme for membrane-assisted Catalytic Partial Oxidation (CPO) for syngas was developed in the frame of the R&D European Project “Innovative Catalytic Technologies & Materials for Next Gas to Liquid Processes, NEXT-GTL” and experimented at semi industrial scale at the facility KT in Chieti (Italy). This new scheme allows saving about 50% of oxygen consumption, thus allowing better performances and selectivity, as well as an energy saving of about 10% and better process economics. The reaction peculiar characteristics enable the process to be carried out in very small reactors with a very high flexibility towards reactant flow and composition variations, meanwhile attaining conversion and product distribution very close to thermodynamic values. The new process scheme may be thus considered a new sustainable syngas process, suitable in particular for small/medium-scale GTL plants. We report here some significant aspects of the experimental activity performed in the framework of the cited EU NEXT-GTL project, and discuss as well the state-of-the-art on membrane-assisted CPO process.