Intensification of Hydrogen Production: Pd–Ag Membrane on Tailored Hastelloy-X Filter for Membrane-Assisted Steam Methane Reforming

H₂ production via membrane-assisted steam methane reforming (MA-SMR) can ensure higher energy efficiency and lower emissions compared to conventional reforming processes (SMR). Ceramic-supported Pd–Ag membranes have been extensively investigated for membrane-assisted steam methane reforming applications, with outstanding performance. However, costs, sealings for integration in the reactor structure, and resistance to solicitations remain challenging issues. In this work, the surface quality of a low-cost, porous Hastelloy-X filter is improved by asymmetric filling with α-Al₂O₃ of decreasing size and deposition of γ-Al₂O₃ as an interdiffusion barrier. On the modified support, a thin Pd–Ag layer was deposited via electroless plating (ELP), resulting in a membrane with H₂/N₂ selectivity >10,000. The permeation characteristics of the membrane were studied, followed by testing for membrane-assisted methane steam reforming. The results showed the ability of the membrane reactor to overcome thermodynamic conversion of the conventional process for all explored operating conditions, as well as ensuring 99.3% H₂ purity in the permeate stream at 500 °C and 4 bar.