Masahiko Matsukata, Dept. Appl. Chem., Waseda Univ., 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan, Kenichi Sawamura, Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan, Mitsuko Takada, Research Institute for Nano-Processes, Waseda University, 2-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan, Yasushi Sekine, Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda Univ., 3-4-1, Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan, and Eiichi Kikuchi, Department of Applied Chemistry, Comprehensive Research Organization, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan.
Diversification of resources is a key of sustainable production. In C1 chemistry, an efficient route of utilizing natural gas as chemical source, natural gas is reacted with air (oxygen) and/or steam to give syngas. Hydrocarbon mixtures and a wide variety of oxygenates can be produced at temperatures of 150-300oC. Since product yield is thermodynamically limited in a large number of reactions in C1 chemistry, it would be noteworthy to consider development of membrane reactor for improving process efficacy. in-situ water separation would contribute to improving one pass-yield of a variety of reactions like methanol synthesis. We have recently developed ZSM-5 type and mordenite-type zeolite membranes for high temperature water separation from syngas. In this report, perspectives of these hydrophilic zeolite membarnes for removing water from such reaction systems will be discussed.