Hydrogen and renewable energy: the role of membrane reactor technology

The increase in the global energy demand, which is mainly provided by the utilization of fossil fuels, has caused both a significant increase in environmental problems and a depletion in the fossil fuel reserves. This situation has also led to concerns related to future energy supply; and therefore, the interest in alternative fuel production by the use of new technologies has increased. In this regard, membrane reactors, which can provide the desired fuel production and separation in the same reactor, have taken significant attention recently. In this chapter, hydrogen and synthetic fuel production from different renewable sources through the use of a membrane reactor are presented in detail. Firstly, a categorization of membrane reactors is done according to membrane types (nature, housing, and separation regime) and membrane reactor configurations (packed-bed, fluidized-bed, and hollow-fiber micro membrane reactors). A comparison between the membrane reactor and the conventional reactor is also made in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. Secondly, some discussions on hydrogen production using membrane reactors through the utilization of fuel obtained from renewable sources such as biomass-derived biofuel and ammonia are given, and various studies on this topic found in the literature are investigated and discussed. Finally, a discussion on synthetic fuel production using membrane reactors through the utilization of renewable resources is given.