Non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation in membrane reactors

Propylene (C3H6) is a building block for important petrochemicals production such as polypropylene and acrylonitrile. Propylene is traditionally produced as a co-product in steam crackers (SC) and as a by-product in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units. A growing gap between the supply and demand for C3H6 is expected in the foreseeable future. On-purpose C3H6 production, such as non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation (PDH), is considered as a suitable technology to bridge the gap between conventional processes (SC and FCC) and the demand for C3H6. However, the PDH process faces challenges due to its endothermic nature. Membrane reactors, consisting of PDH catalysts and H2-permeable membranes, have the potential to improve C3H6 yield. The key feature of the implemented PDH membrane reactor is that the catalyst activates C3H8 to form C3H6, while the membrane continuously removes H2 to influence C3H8 equilibrium conversion. This chapter provides a summary of past research and ongoing developments in PDH reactions in membrane reactors. The content covers the membrane material, catalyst, reactor configuration, and performance for PDH in membrane reactors. Furthermore, the challenges and strategies to mitigate reactor performance decline during PDH are presented, along with future research and development directions to advance this technology for on-purpose C3H6 production.