Palladium-based Catalytic Membrane Reactor for the continuous flow hydrodechlorination of chlorinated micropollutants

• A Pd-based catalytic membrane reactor with controlled feeding of H 2 was developed. • The Pd/CMR was tested in continuous flow HDC under ambient conditions. • The Pd/CMR showed an outstanding activity and stability for up to 200 h. • The activity of the catalytic system was not affected by the initial DCF concentration. • The versatility of the system was successfully demonstrated in a tap water matrix. This work is focused on the development of a Pd-based catalytic membrane reactor (Pd/CMR) for its application in continuous flow hydrodechlorination (HDC) of chlorinated micropollutants. A cylindrical inert porous alumina membrane was decorated on the outer with well-dispersed Pd nanoparticles (0.2 % wt.). The Pd/CMR was fully characterized by different techniques. The catalytic system was applied for the degradation of the persistent anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (DCF) under ambient conditions. A remarkable stability was observed upon long-term HDC reaction, with a reasonable DCF conversion (60 %). Notably, as the process could be described by pseudo-first order kinetic, the initial concentration did not affect the final conversion achieved. Finally, the versatility of the system was successfully demonstrated using a real aqueous matrix (tap water). All in all, Pd/CMR exhibited a remarkable feasibility for the implementation of the HDC technology on a larger scale, showing an extraordinary catalytic performance for up to 200 h.