INORGANIC MEMBRANE REACTORS

The availability of inorganic membranes which can withstand high tempe ratures has resulted in a wide ranging opportunity for the application of membranes in chemical reactors. Increased conversions, better sele ctivity, milder operating conditions and decreased separation load are some of the attractive features which are going to promote membranes as chemical reactors in many established and novel reaction systems. E stablished and emerging technologies in ceramics, semiconductors and m etal plating such as slip casting, electroless plating, sputtering, an d chemical and electrochemical vapor deposition techniques are being s uccessfully adapted in the laboratory scale to produce membranes with high permeabilities and improved separation factors. It should soon be possible to categorize membrane technologies for different types of r eactions. Further advancements in modifying the surface of the membran es to tailor them to specific catalytic and separation requirements wi ll greatly enhance the versatility of the membranes as chemical reacto rs and separators in the future. This article reviews various applicat ions of membrane reactors with particular emphasis on their applicatio n in high-temperature gas-phase reactions.