Patent ID: 7351275

Claim:
An improved process for producing carbon monoxide from a monolith reactor comprising the steps: a) directing a feed gas mixture to said monolith reactor; b) directing a first product gas from said monolith reactor comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a first membrane unit; c) separating said carbon monoxide from said first product gas in said first membrane unit; d) directing said carbon monoxide to a second membrane unit; e) directing the carbon dioxide and hydrogen from said first membrane unit to a reverse shift reactor; f) directing a second product gas from said reverse shift reactor comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a third membrane unit; g) separating the carbon monoxide from the carbon dioxide and hydrogen in said third membrane unit; h) feeding the carbon monoxide rich stream recovered from said third membrane unit to said first membrane unit for further purification; i) directing the carbon dioxide and hydrogen from said third membrane unit to said reverse shift reactor; and j) recovering the carbon monoxide from step c.