Electro‐membrane reactor: A powerful tool for green chemical engineering

Abstract

Electro‐membrane reactors use electro‐membranes for preferentially diffusive/electrophoretic migration or electroosmotic separation of in‐situ reactive products, thereby maximizing the reaction rate and transport efficiencies of the products. These reactors are widely employed in the chemical engineering sectors such as green chemical synthesis, biorefining, electrocatalytic reduction/oxidation, and water treatment. In this review article, we provide an overview of the recent advances in three categories of electro‐membrane reactors in chemical engineering sectors from three categories: (1) Electro‐membrane reactors based on stacked ion‐exchange membranes for resources recovery; (2) Electro‐membrane reactors via Faraday reactions on functional anodes/cathodes for substance transformation; and (3) Closed‐loop chemical reactions and substance separation via coupling of Faraday reactions and stacked membranes. The increasing demand for low‐carbon economy has accelerated the advancement of environmentally friendly chemical engineering and sustainable processes and necessitates the use of electro‐membrane processes. The macro perspective provides a timely reference for researchers and engineers.