Bioethanol to Hydrogen Membrane Surface Characteristics Change Study

The problem of the gradual transformation of the modern economy towards greater production and consumption of ‘green’ energy requires a significant revision of existing technologies. One of the possible ways to develop green energy is the use of hydrogen as the most environmentally friendly fuel. Hydrogen can be obtained both by electrolysis, using solar energy, and using biorenewable raw materials, which can be used as ethanol, biogas, peat, agricultural waste. At the same time, for regions with a low level of illumination, the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water using electricity generated by solar panels is inaccessible, and therefore the processing of biorenewable raw materials can take a leading position. Bioethanol is a large-capacity product with a proven production technology that widely uses waste from agriculture and wood processing. Ethanol can be used as a feedstock for hydrogen generation by means of catalytic pyrolysis or catalytic steam reforming. Membrane-catalytic steam reforming of ethanol with the production of hydrogen makes it possible to obtain hydrogen without the use of an additional purification step, however, the efficiency and stability of the membrane becomes the determining parameter that ensures the efficiency of the entire process. The degradation of inorganic membranes during catalytic steam reforming is closely related to the change in porosity as a result of hydrolysis of the membrane surface. In this connection, the study of the physicochemical properties of membranes during operation can make a significant contribution to the development of stable catalytic membranes for hydrogen production. The article presents the results of studying the physicochemical properties of an inorganic membrane for ethanol steam reforming by the method of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The Langmuir, Brunauer-Emmett-Taylor, t-plot and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda models were used to estimate the surface change. An increase in the surface area of mesopores during the operation of the membrane was determined.