Mixed Matrix Pt‐Carbon Nanofiber Polyethersulfone Catalytic Membranes for Glucose Dehydrogenation

Abstract

AbstractThe advancement of technologies for producing chemicals and materials from non‐fossil resources is of critical importance. An illustrative example is the dehydrogenation of glucose, to yield gluconic acid, a specialty chemical. In this study, we propose an innovative production route for gluconic acid while generating H2 as a co‐product. Our concept involves a dual‐function membrane, serving both as a catalyst for glucose dehydrogenation into gluconic acid and as a means to efficiently remove the produced H2 from the reaction mixture. To achieve this two membranes were developed, one catalytically active and one dense aimed at H2 removal. The catalytic membrane showed significant activity, yielding 16 % gluconic acid (t=120 min) with a catalyst selectivity of 93 % and stable performance over five consecutive cycles. Incorporating the H2 separating membrane showed the significance of H2 removal in driving the reaction forward. Its inclusion led to a twofold increase in gluconic acid yield, aligning with Le Chatelier's principles. As a future prospect the two layers can be combined into a dual‐layer membrane which opens the way for a new production route to simultaneously produce gluconic acid and H2, using high‐throughput reactors such as hollow‐fiber systems.