# Development of High-Performance Catalytic Ceramic Membrane Microchannel Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol

## TL;DR

A new ceramic membrane microchannel reactor converts CO2 to methanol more efficiently than traditional methods, with high conversion rates and potential for clean energy solutions.

## Contribution

The first ceramic membrane microchannel reactor for CO2 conversion to methanol is developed, achieving significantly higher conversion rates.

## Key findings

- CO2 conversion reached 82%, ten times higher than traditional reactors.
- Methanol selectivity and yield were 51.6% and 42.3%, respectively.
- The reactor outperformed conventional tubular membrane reactors by 1.5 times in CO2 conversion.

## Abstract

Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol in a traditional reactor (TR) with catalytic packed bed faces the challenge of lower reactant conversion due to thermodynamic limitations. On the contrary, membrane reactors selectively remove reaction products, enhancing the conversion, but it is still limited, and existing designs face challenges of structural integrity and scale-up complications. Therefore, for the first time, a ceramic membrane microchannel reactor (CMMR) system was developed with 500 µm deep microchannels, incorporated with catalytic membrane for CO2 conversion to methanol. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations confirmed the uniform flow distribution among the microchannels. A catalytic LTA zeolite membrane was synthesized with thin layer (~45 µm) of Cu-ZnO-Al2O3 catalyst coating and tested at a temperature of 220 °C and 3.0 MPa pressure. The results showed a significantly higher CO2 conversion of 82%, which is approximately 10 times higher than TR and 3 times higher than equilibrium conversion while 1.5 times higher than conventional tubular membrane reactor. Additionally, methanol selectivity and yield were achieved as 51.6% and 42.3%, respectively. The research outputs showed potential of replacing the current industrial process of methanol synthesis, addressing the Sustainable Development Goals of SDG-7, 9, and 13 for clean energy, industry innovation, and climate action, respectively.