National Research Council of Italy – Institute on Membrane Technology, via P. Bucci 17C at University of Calabria, Rende (CS), 87036 – Italy
Presentation Title: Simultaneous H2 production and separation/purification in membrane reactors: steam reforming reaction of a synthetic biogas stream as an alternative to natural gas utilization
Abstract
Today, most of the world hydrogen production comes from the steam reforming of natural gas, responsible for the enormous emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. To limit the environmental impact in future hydrogen energy applications, the exploitation of bio-derived sources such as biogas could constitute a viable and eco-friendly option to natural gas, meanwhile favoring the energy transition from a carbon-based to the hydrogen economy. The relevance of biogas, which is constituted of a mixture of CH4 and CO2, low amounts of H2S, NH3 and traces of other compounds, lies in the fact that it can be utilized as an alternative to natural gas in the same industrial application and infrastructures. Combining biogas with membrane reactor technology to generate hydrogen via reforming reactions, an intensification of the process may be favored due to the simultaneous production and separation/purification of hydrogen in a unique device.
The scope of this work is to illustrate the potential and the most relevant results of the Pd-based membrane reactors used to generate decarbonized hydrogen from the steam reforming of biogas, according to the objectives of ongoing Italian national scientific projects supporting the research initiatives in the framework of the European Green Deal.
Biographical Sketch
Adolfo Iulianelli, Master Degree in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical and Material Engineering at the University of Calabria (Italy). Nowadays, he is Senior Researcher at the Institute on Membrane Technology (CNR-ITM) of the National Research Council of Italy, and responsible for the activities on polymeric and inorganic membranes and membrane reactors for Hydrogen generation and purification. Furthermore, he is member of the “Civil and Industrial Engineering Research Doctorate (PhD)” board at the University of Calabria (Italy). Iulianelli is author and co-author of more than 240 scientific products as peer reviewed articles (h-index = 38 (SCOPUS), h-index = 43 (GOOGLE SCHOLAR)), books, chapters book, patents, editorials and proceedings.
He is member of the European Membrane Society and served as Monitor Expert for the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency – European Commission, and as Expert Referee for the US Department of Energy (DOE), etc. Iulianelli has been Editor of various Elsevier’s books about hydrogen, membrane engineering and renewable sources, and served as Guest Editor for Fuel Processing Technology, Renewable Energy, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Chemical Engineering and Processing Process Intensification, Membranes and ChemEngineering. Besides, Iulianelli is co Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology, Associate Editor of Frontiers of Chemical Engineering – Separation Processes, Academic Editor for Membranes, Hydrogen and ChemEngineering, and editorial board member of several others. Since 2017, Iulianelli is qualified as Associate Professor in 1) Chemical Industrial Process and 2) Fundamentals of Chemical Technologies.