A comprehensive review on oxygen transport membranes: Development history, current status, and future directions

In view of its important role as raw materials in various energy and environment fields, pure oxygen has been widely required. The present cryogenic distillation, polymeric membrane and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) air separation methods are either energy intensive or producing non-high purity oxygen. The comparative analysis of the inorganic dense ceramic-based oxygen transport membranes (OTMs) with these traditional oxygen production technologies and the H-2/O-2 production by electrolysis of water shows irreplaceable advantages. The oxygen transport mechanism has been elaborated further to reveal the theoretical basis for the development of OTMs. The dual-phase membranes that have been widely studied are divided into three types according to the conduction paths of oxygen ions and electrons. Based on a review of the different types of OTM materials experienced in the past 30 years, its applications such as oxygen-enriched combustion involving H-2 and membrane reactors have been discussed. Finally, challenges and future directions are analyzed according to potential industrial design directions and competitive technologies of OTMs. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.