Investigation of novel membrane reactors for removal of dissolved oxygen from water

Abstract

Novel membrane reactors were developed for dissolved oxygen (DO) removal from water. The reactors were fabricated from either a hollow fibre membrane or a tubular membrane. A palladium catalyst was packed in the void space of the reactor made from the hollow fibre membrane, while for the tubular membrane reactor, the catalyst was packed within the membrane tube. Hydrogen gas was employed as a reducing agent. Water-containing saturated DO was fed into the reaction compartment containing the catalyst particles, while the purified hydrogen was introduced countercurrently into the gas compartment of the reactors so that the normal physical and chemical processes for the DO removal take place simultaneously. A mathematical model was also developed for the novel membrane reactors. The model takes account of axial dispersion, membrane permeation and chemical reaction. The effects of various operating and system conditions on the overall performances of the reactors for the DO removal were studied theoretically. Experimental data obtained from the membrane reactors were compared with the theoretical results and capabilities of the reactors for the DO removal were evaluated.