PROMOTION OF THE CONVERSION OF PROPANE TO AROMATICS BY USE OF A PALLADIUM MEMBRANE

The conversion of propane to aromatics on a gallium loaded H-ZSM-5 catalyst was studied using a hydrogen-permeable membrane reactor. The membrane used was composed of a thin palladium film (8.6-mu-m) supported on the outer surface of a porous alumina cylinder. For the aromatization of propane, the yield of aromatics in this membrane reactor was higher than yields reported in conventional packed bed reactors. The high yield of aromatics was credited to the suppression of the formation of by-products, methane or ethane, probably due to the selective removal of hydrogen from the reaction system. It was found from a comparative study on the conversion of propene that dehydrogenation of propane to propene was efficiently promoted using the membrane reactor.