Palladium-based membranes dehydrogenation reactions

While most of the membrane reactor studies on ethylbenzene dehydrogenation employ fixed-bed membrane reactors, Abdalla and Elnashaie [1995] evaluated the concept of a fluidized-bed membrane reactor through modeling. Since hydrogen is released from the reaction, a palladium-based membrane can be used for this application. 

Dittmeyer et al. [9] reviewed the applications of a palladium membrane reactor to catalytic dehydrogenation of paraffins. Based on simplified simulation, it was concluded that a beneficial effect of hydrogen removal through the membrane could be offset by strong adsorption of the product olefin on the catalyst surface that would eliminate the active surface sites and effectively slow down the forward reaction rates. Also, it was observed that the long time stability and reactivity of the palladium membranes would require more research. 

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