International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol.11, No.1, 164-172, 2010
Development of a Novel Catalytic Membrane Reactor for Heterogeneous Catalysis in Supercritical CO2
A novel type of high-pressure membrane reactor has been developed for hydrogenation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)). The main objectives of the design of the reactor are the separate feeding of hydrogen and substrate in scCO(2) for safe reactions in a continuous flow process, and to reduce the reaction time. By using this new reactor, hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde into hydrocinnamaldehyde has been successfully carried out with 100% selectivity at 50 degrees C in 10 MPa (H-2: 1 MPa, CO2: 9 MPa) with a flow rate of substrate ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 mL/min.
Keywords:catalytic membrane reactor;supercritical carbon dioxide;mesoporous silica membrane;selective hydrogenation;cinnamaldehyde