Progress in research and industrial development of microstructured reactors for intensifying gas-solid catalytic reactions

Catalytic processing of light hydrocarbons provides fuels and raw chemicals, and is thus of paramount importance for the energy and chemical industry. However, the harsh conditions and significant heat effects cause undesirable inefficiency, high power consumption and carbon emission of conventional reactors. Microstructured catalytic reactors enable excellent heat and mass transfer and potentially lower the pressure drop with a compact design, thus allowing high-throughput light hydrocarbons processing under strict control of temperature and concentration as demanded by distributed production. This paper summarizes the fabrication technology and key R&D activities with regard to microstructured reactors for intensifying gas-solid catalytic reactions. Representative examples of light hydrocarbons processing in microstructured reactors are reviewed including the endothermic steam methane reforming and the exothermic methanation and ethane oxidative dehydrogenation processes. It is believed that innovative and efficient reactor-catalyst integration could boost even wider applications of the emerging reactor technology, which would eventually reshape the energy and chemical industry. © All Right Reserved.