MEDIO AMBIENTE N/A

RESEARCH GROUP: Giulio C. Sarti, Marco Giacinti Baschetti, Maria Grazia De Angelis

KEYWORDS: proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), ionomers, hydrogen, palladium membranes

The activity focuses on the study of novel techniques for the processing of new energy carriers (hydrogen) and the optimization of new energy production de- vices (fuel cells).

Palladium Membranes for Hydrogen purifica- tion. Hydrogen is one of the most promising ener-

gy carriers, due to its intrinsically clean combustion and possible use in fuel cells. Hydrogen is mainly produced by the reforming of natural gas; an effi- ciency increase in that process is a first step toward a more sustainable future. Palladium membranes can be used to purify hydrogen produced via steam reforming, reducing costs and improving efficiency of the whole process, due to high permeability and selectivity, and lower energy consumption than cur- rently used systems (e.g. pressure swing absorber). Moreover membrane systems and can be assembled within the steam reforming reactor, to increase the reaction efficiency and yield.

The activity is aimed at testing and modeling trans- port of hydrogen-containing mixtures in palladium membranes, in order to design the most appropriate membranes and modules in a real separation envi- ronment, in the presence of poisoning gases, such as CO and water vapour.

Ionomer Membranes for Fuel Cells. Proton Ex-

change Membranes Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are ener- gy production devices that use hydrogen (or metha- nol) as fuel and polymeric membranes as electrolytes (e.g. Nafion®_{, Aquivion}®_{). The membrane conductiv-}

ity depends on the humidity absorbed and the study of mass transport through the membrane is essential for controlling its performance. The activity is fo- cused at the experimental and theoretical study of fluid transport through membranes as a function of operative conditions and membrane properties, especially at temperatures above 60°C as they allow the use of alternative fuels and reduce electrode cat- alyst poisoning. The analysis is carried out with the aid of infrared spectroscopy, dry and humid gas per- meometers, balances and pressure decay devices for sorption, TGA measurements.

Fig. 1. Rubotherm Magnetic Balance for hydro- gen transport in palladium membranes.

Fig. 2. Relative permeability of gases in humid- ified Nafion® _{N117 membranes for fuel cells,}

MAIN PUBLICATIONS

Ferrari M.C., Catalano J., Giacinti Baschet- ti M., De Angelis M.G., Sarti G.C. (2012). FTIR-ATR Study of Water Distribution in a Short-Side-Chain PFSI Membrane. Macromol- ecules 45, 1901-1912.

Catalano J., Myezwa T., De Angelis M.G., Gi- acinti Baschetti M., Sarti G.C. (2012). The ef- fect of relative humidity on the gas permeability and swelling in PFSI membranes. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 37, 6308-6316. Catalano, J., Giacinti Baschetti, M., Sarti, G. C. (2011). Influence of water vapor on hydrogen permeation through 2.5 μm Pd–Ag membranes. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 36, 8658-8673.

Catalano, J., Giacinti Baschetti, M., & Sarti, G. C. (2010). Hydrogen permeation in palladi- um-based membranes in the presence of carbon monoxide. Journal of Membrane Science 362(1- 2), 221-233.

Hallinan DT, De Angelis MG, Giacinti Baschetti M, Sarti GC, Elabd Yossef A. (2010). Non-Fickian Diffusion of Water in Nafion, Macromolecules 43, 4667-4678.

Coroneo, M., Montante, G., Giacinti Baschet- ti, M., Paglianti, a. (2009). CFD modelling of inorganic membrane modules for gas mixture separation. Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 64(5), pp. 1085-1094.

Catalano J., Giacinti Baschetti M., De Ange- lis M.G., Sarti G.C., Sanguineti A., Fossati P. (2009). Gas and water vapor permeation in a short-side-chain PFSI membrane. Desalination 240, 341-346.

Catalano, J., Giacinti Baschetti, M., Sarti, G. C. (2009). Influence of the gas phase resistance on hydrogen flux through thin palladium–sil- ver membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 339(1-2), 57-67.

Pizzi, D., Worth, R., Giacinti Baschetti, M., Sarti, G. C., Noda, K.-ichi. (2008). Hydrogen permeability of 2.5μm palladium–silver mem-

branes deposited on ceramic supports. Journal of Membrane Science 325(1), 446-453.

D. Gorri, MG De Angelis, M Giacinti Baschet- ti, GC Sarti (2008). Water and methanol per- meation through short-side-chain perfluorosul- phonic acid ionomeric membranes, Journal of Membrane Science 322, 383-391.

Y. Yamamoto, M. C. Ferrari, M. Giacinti Baschetti, M. G. De Angelis, G. C. Sarti (2006). A quartz crystal microbalance study of water vapor sorption in a short side-chain PFSI mem- brane, Desalination 200 (1-3), 636-638

M.G. De Angelis, S. Lodge, M. Giacinti Baschetti, G.C. Sarti, F. Doghieri, A. San- guineti, P. Fossati (2006). Water sorption and diffusion in a short-side-chain perfluorosulfon- ic acid ionomer membrane for PEMFCS: effect of temperature and pre-treatment. Desalination 193, 398-404.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

FISR DM 17/12/2002 “Idrogeno puro da gas naturale mediante reforming a conversione totale ottenuta integrando reazione chimica e separazione a membrana. Funded by the Italian government through the “Contributo del Fon- do Integrativo Speciale Ricerca” (2005-2009). Sviluppo di una filiera integrata dell’idrogeno per lo sfruttamento delle fonti energetiche alternative e la decarbonizzazione. Funded within the “Accordo Programma Quadro tra il Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, il Minis- tro dell’Università e della Ricerca e la Regione Emilia-Romagna - II Integrativo - Sostegno allo sviluppo dei laboratori di ricerca nei campi della nautica e dell’energia per il Tecnopolo di Raven- na” (2012-2013).

Funded Collaboration with Ausimont (2000- 2005) and Solvay-Solexis (2005-2009). CONTACTS

[email protected] marco,[email protected] [email protected]

Diffusion in Polymers and Membrane Separations – Gas Separation with Membranes