Selective carbonylation of dimethyl ether to methyl acetate on Ferrierite

•DME carbonylation to Methyl acetate was investigated on H-FER with different Si/Al ratios.•H-FER with Si/Al ratio of 12 revealed a higher MA selectivity.•A higher B/L ratio and crystallinity of H-FER are important for a higher activity and stability.

Synthesis of methyl acetate (MA) by carbonylation of dimethyl ether (DME) was investigated using laboratory-made H-form Ferrierite (FER) zeolite with different Si/Al molar ratios. The synthesized H-FER with a Si/Al ratio of 12 (FER(12)) revealed a higher DME conversion as well as MA selectivity. The observed higher catalytic performance on the FER(12) was mainly attributed to a higher ratio of Bronsted to Lewis acid sites as well as the higher crystallinity with the less coke formation. The superior properties of the FER(12) having a higher ratio of Bronsted to Lewis acid sites and crystallinity efficiently suppressed the formation of inactive coke precursors.

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