The study of catalytic membranes and membrane reactor processes is a multidisciplinary activity, which in recent years has attracted the attention of scientists and engineers in a number of disciplines, including materials science, chemistry and biology, and chemical and biochemical engineering. For a process to qualify as a membrane reactor system, it must not simply combine a membrane separation unit with a chemical reactor; it must integrally couple them in such a fashion that a synergy is created between the two units, potentially resulting in enhanced performance in terms of separation, selectivity and yield. Often the membrane separation module and reactor are physically combined into the same unit
