The catalytic performance of sulfated zirconia in the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether

• The sulfated zirconia catalysts were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TEM and BET.
• The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by the dehydration of IPA.
• The catalysts were tested for methanol dehydration using air or nitrogen as a carrier gases.
• Using air or nitrogen as a carrier gas gives the same yield of DME up to 250 °C.
• 10% SZ catalyst has been found to be efficient catalyst for the synthesis of DME.

Sulfated zirconia catalysts were prepared by wetness impregnation of zirconium hydroxide with an aqueous solution of (NH4)2SO4 with SO42− loadings (1–30%, w/w) and calcined at 450 °C for 3 h in a static air atmosphere. The catalysts were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM and BET measurements. The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by the dehydration of isopropanol and the adsorption of pyridine (PY) and 2,6-dimethyl pyridine (DMPY). The catalysts were tested for dehydration of methanol in a fixed-bed reactor at 230 °C using air as a carrier gas. The results revealed that among different catalysts, 10% SO42− supported onto zirconia showed the highest catalytic activity with 83% conversion and 100% selectivity toward dimethyl ether. A good correlation was found between the acidity of the catalysts and their ability to dehydrate methanol.

Effect of sulfate loadings on dehydration of methanol over catalysts calcined at 450 °C for 3 h using air as a carrier gas at 230 °C reaction temperature.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (83 K)Download as PowerPoint slide