A composite catalytic polymer membrane reactor using heteropolyacid-blended polymer membrane

The vapor-phase MTBE decomposition was examined in a shell and tube-type catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). 12-Tungstophosphoric acid (PW) was used as a catalyst and poly-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide (PPO) was used as a polymer material. A single-phase CMR (PW-PPO/AL(2)O(3), type-1) and a composite CMR (PW-PPO/ PPO/Al2O3, type-2) were successfully designed and characterized. It was revealed that the single-phase PW-PPO/ Al2O3 showed perm-selectivities for reaction products. The selective removal of methanol through the catalytic membrane shifted the chemical equilibrium toward the favorable direction in the MTBE decomposition. The PW-PPO/PPO/Al2O3 showed the better performance than PW-PPO/Al2O3. The enhanced performance of PW-PPO/ PPO/Al2O3 CMR was due to the intrinsic perm-selectivity of PW-PPO and the additional separation capability of sub-layered PPO membrane.