A hydrogen permeable membrane device is provided that includes a porous ceramic layer having a material that includes zirconia, Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), /Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or YSZ /Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and a porous Pd film or porous Pd-alloy film deposited on the a mesoporous ceramic layer.

A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

Integrated liquid fuel catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) reformer and fuel cell systems can include a plurality or an array of spaced-apart CPOX reactor units, each reactor unit including an elongated tube having a gas-permeable wall with internal and external surfaces. The wall encloses an unobstructed gaseous flow passageway. At least a portion of the wall has CPOX catalyst disposed therein and/or comprising its structure. The catalyst-containing wall structure and open gaseous flow passageway enclosed thereby define a gaseous phase CPOX reaction zone, the catalyst-containing wall section being gas-permeable to allow gaseous CPOX reaction mixture to diffuse therein and hydrogen rich product reformate to diffuse therefrom. The liquid fuel CPOX reformer also can include a vaporizer, one or more igniters, and a source of liquid reformable fuel. The hydrogen-rich reformate can be converted to electricity within a fuel cell unit integrated with the CPOX reactor unit.

A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

A catalytic membrane reactor and methods of operating and producing the same are provided that efficiently produces highly pure hydrogen (H.sub.2) from ammonia (NH.sub.3) as well as operates according to other chemical conversion processes. In one embodiment, a tubular ceramic support made from porous yttria-stabilized zirconia has an outer surface that is impregnated with a metal catalyst such as ruthenium and then plated with a hydrogen permeable membrane such as palladium. An inner surface of the ceramic support is impregnated with cesium to promote conversion of ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen (N.sub.2). The resulting catalytic membrane reactor produces highly pure hydrogen at low temperatures and with less catalytic loading. Therefore, ammonia can be used to effectively transport hydrogen for use in, for example, fuel cells in a vehicle.

The present specification discloses a membrane reactor comprising a reaction region; a permeate region; and a composite membrane disposed at a boundary of the reaction region and the permeate region, wherein the reaction region comprises a bed filled with a catalyst for dehydrogenation reaction, wherein the composite membrane comprises a support layer including a metal with a body-centered-cubic (BCC) crystal structure, and a catalyst layer including a palladium (Pd) or a palladium alloy formed onto the support layer, wherein ammonia (NH.sub.3) is supplied to the reaction region, the ammonia is converted into hydrogen (H.sub.2) by the dehydrogenation reaction in the presence of the catalyst for dehydrogenation reaction, and the hydrogen permeates the composite membrane and is emitted from the membrane reactor through the permeate region.

A method of separately producing tert-butanol and sec-butanol, comprising the steps of introducing a mixed butenes stream to a tube side of a reaction membrane unit, introducing a TBA reactor water feed to the tube side of the reaction membrane unit, introducing a sweep gas to a shell side of the reaction membrane unit, introducing an SBA reactor water feed to the shell side, allowing the mixed butenes stream to contact the tube side of a such that selective gases in the mixed butenes stream permeate through the membrane to the shell side, allowing the selective gases that permeate through the membrane to react with water to produce sec-butanol, allowing retentate gases that fail to permeate through the membrane to react with water to produce tert-butanol, collecting the tert-butanol in a TBA reactor effluent, and collecting the sec-butanol in a SBA reactor effluent.

The subject of the present invention is a process for the synthesis of C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl (meth)acrylates, by direct esterification of the (meth)acrylic acid by the corresponding alcohol, the reaction being carried out in a fixed bed membrane reactor under conditions in which the water generated by the reaction is eliminated from the reaction mixture as it is formed. The process according to the invention may operate under conditions for which the reagents are not in excess, thereby minimizing the size and energy of the equipment for separation/recycling of the streams generated during the purification of the reaction medium.