Membrane reactor for co-generating propene and aniline

A method of co-generating propene and aniline in an enclosure that comprises a shell, a hydrogenation inlet and a hydrogenation outlet, the enclosure further comprising a first membrane positioned inside the shell, the first membrane comprising a dehydrogenation inlet and a dehydrogenation outlet, the first membrane separating a hydrogenation side facing the shell and a dehydrogenation side facing away from the shell, the method comprising:

• introducing a dehydrogenation gas comprising propane into the dehydrogenation side via the dehydrogenation inlet;
• converting the propane to propene and hydrogen in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst on the dehydrogenation side;
• diffusing the hydrogen across the first membrane from the dehydrogenation side to the hydrogenation side;
• introducing a hydrogenation gas comprising nitrobenzene into the hydrogenation side via the hydrogenation inlet;
• converting the nitrobenzene and the hydrogen to aniline and water vapors in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst on the hydrogenation side, resulting in exothermic heat;
• and
• transferring the exothermic heat across the first membrane from the hydrogenation side to the dehydrogenation side.