Hydrogen Separation Using Ceramic Membranes

The increasing need for low carbon sustainable fuels to mitigate impending climate and sustainability challenges involves developing disruptive technologies to facilitate economic production of renewable energy sources such as hydrogen. For hydrogen to significantly contribute to decarbonisation, and across all sectors, it needs to be produced at a large scale with minimal carbon intensity and maximised efficiency, as well as purified and polished to suit target applications. Given the costly and energy-intensive alternative processes, membrane separation technology is set to play a crucial role in the future of industrial hydrogen purification. Amongst a variety of membranes available, ceramic membranes show favourable properties, such as high chemical, mechanical and thermal stability, and therefore are explored in detail in this chapter. Common ceramic membranes are introduced and categorised into porous and dense ceramic membranes, as well as their separation mechanisms are described. Common ceramic membrane fabrication techniques such as solution–gelation and chemical vapour deposition are investigated. While there are currently no reported industrial applications of ceramic membranes for hydrogen purification, the chapter concludes with future progress in the field.