Feb 2023
There is general consensus on the contribution that process intensification can give to the chemical industry in terms of improced energy efficiency. In general, Process Intensification (PI), is defined as “any chemical engineering development that leads to a substantially smaller, cleaner, safer and more energy efficient technology” (Reay et al., 2013), and is always referred to as the next revolution of the chemical industry.
One interesting strategy is achieved in the synergy domains, where functions are integrated in single units. Generally, the functions integrated are reaction and separation or reaction and heat management. The integration of functions promises to decrease the capital costs and operating costs compared to typical systems where these functions are separated.
One of these “novel” concepts is the membrane reactor concept, in which membrane separation is integrated with reaction.
This talk summarizes the work on membrane reactors for a variety of applications and integration of membrane reactors with different concepts.
Fausto Gallucci studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Calabria (UNICAL, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy) where he obtained his MSc (2001) and PhD (2006) degrees. He performed his PhD research on hydrogen production from methanol in membrane reactors. In 2007, Gallucci moved to the research group Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands). In 2009 he was appointed Assistant Professor (tenure track) there. The following year, Gallucci moved to the Chemical Process Intensification laboratory at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, The Netherlands) where he was appointed Associate Professor in 2015, leading the Multiphase Reactors research effort. In 2018 he was appointed full Professor at the chair 'Inorganic Membranes and Membrane Reactors'. Since 2020 he is chairing the Sustainable Process Engineering capacity group and 2020-2022 he was dean of the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.
The research of Fausto Gallucci is related to the development of membranes and novel multiphase reactors, in particular membrane reactors and dynamically operated reactors. His research focuses on the interaction of heterogeneous catalysis, transport phenomena, and fluid mechanics in these novel multifunctional reactors. Particularly interesting application areas are methanol production in zeolite and carbon membranes, methane activation with oxygen selective membranes, the Fischer-Tropsch reaction in carbon-based membrane reactors, and hydrogen production by reforming/dehydrogenation reactions with hydrogen selective membranes. The membrane reactor research is carried out through integration of (in house developed) advanced experimental techniques and experimental Proof of Concept of novel reactor concepts. Gallucci has and is coordinating and participating in several large European Projects.