Hydrogen production by water splitting coupled with the oxidation of coke oven gas in a catalytic oxygen transport membrane reactor

In this work, a cobalt-free Pr_0.6Sr_0.4Fe_0.9Al_0.1O_3-δ (PSFA) catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) with asymmetrical configuration was prepared for hydrogen production by water splitting coupled with the oxidation of coke oven gas (COG) to syngas. A high H₂ production rate of 9.8 mL min⁻¹ cm⁻² was obtained on the asymmetric PSFA membrane coated with Ni/Ce_0.9Pr_0.1O₂ catalytic porous layers at 940 °C. The asymmetric PSFA CMR was operated steadily for 250 h under a strong reducing atmosphere containing H₂S and CO₂ impurities. Characterization of the membrane and the porous layers by SEM and XRD after long-term operation showed that the catalytic porous layer on both sides of the membrane not only provided good catalytic activity but also protected the PSFA dense layer against the corrosion of H₂, CO₂, and H₂S. The experiments in this study indicate that this approach using asymmetrical PSFA CMR is feasible for producing CO-free hydrogen from COG.