Development of High-Performance Catalytic Ceramic Membrane Microchannel Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol

Authors

• Aubaid Ullah, Universiti Malaya
• Nur Awanis Hashim, Universiti MalayaFollow
• Mohamad Fairus Rabuni, Universiti MalayaFollow
• Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi, Universiti MalayaFollow
• Ammar Ahmed, Universiti Malaya
• Mustapha Grema Mohammed, Universiti MalayaFollow
• Muhammed Sahal Siddique, Universiti Malaya

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-17-2026

Abstract

Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methanol in a traditional reactor (TR) with catalytic packed bed faces the challenge of lower reactant conversion due to thermodynamic limitations. On the contrary, membrane reactors selectively remove reaction products, enhancing the conversion, but it is still limited, and existing designs face challenges of structural integrity and scale-up complications. Therefore, for the first time, a ceramic membrane microchannel reactor (CMMR) system was developed with 500 µm deep microchannels, incorporated with catalytic membrane for CO₂ conversion to methanol. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations confirmed the uniform flow distribution among the microchannels. A catalytic LTA zeolite membrane was synthesized with thin layer (~45 µm) of Cu-ZnO-Al₂O₃ catalyst coating and tested at a temperature of 220 °C and 3.0 MPa pressure. The results showed a significantly higher CO₂ conversion of 82%, which is approximately 10 times higher than TR and 3 times higher than equilibrium conversion while 1.5 times higher than conventional tubular membrane reactor. Additionally, methanol selectivity and yield were achieved as 51.6% and 42.3%, respectively. The research outputs showed potential of replacing the current industrial process of methanol synthesis, addressing the Sustainable Development Goals of SDG-7, 9, and 13 for clean energy, industry innovation, and climate action, respectively.

Keywords

methanol synthesis, CO2 conversion, membrane microchannel reactor, catalytic membrane, LTA zeolite

Publication Title

Membranes

ISSN

2077-0375

DOI

10.3390/membranes16010045

Recommended Citation

Ullah, Aubaid; Hashim, Nur Awanis; Rabuni, Mohamad Fairus; Mohd Junaidi, Mohd Usman; Ahmed, Ammar; Mohammed, Mustapha Grema; and Siddique, Muhammed Sahal, "Development of High-Performance Catalytic Ceramic Membrane Microchannel Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol" (2026). Research Publications (2026 to 2030). 49.
https://knova.um.edu.my/research_publications_2026_2030/49

Volume

16

Issue

1

First Page

45

Publisher

MDPI