4^th European Chemistry Congress

Biography

Biography: Cecilia Mortalo

Abstract

The production of pure hydrogen usually requires its extraction from a gas mixture. One of the critical stages related to the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier is the development of efficient and competitive techniques that separate hydrogen from other by-products such as steam, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and other gases. Membranes for hydrogen purification represent an appealing alternative to the current commercially available pressure swing adsorption technology. In this context, mixed ionic and electronic conducting (MIEC) materials are considered attractive as dense ceramic membranes due to their extremely high
selectivity at high temperature (≥ 600°C): hydrogen is incorporated into their lattice as charge protonic defects, thus providing a nongalvanic separation, i.e. without external power. Furthermore, the properties of these oxides (i.e. working temperatures, durability) endow membranes that could be directly integrated into industrial processes or used in the catalytic membrane reactors. Recently, BaCe0.65Zr0.20Y0.15O3-δ and doped-ceria composites were explored by our group as potential membrane for hydrogen separation, reaching hydrogen flux values among the highest ever reported for bulk MIEC membranes (0.27 mL•min-1•cm-2 at 755°C). 1 This talk provides a comprehensive overview of the recent trends in such MIEC materials for H2 separation. The long term stability of the investigated systems under harsh environments containing H2O vapour, CO, CO2, and sulphides is also shown.