Catalytic dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether over nanosized WO3/Al2O3 system under inert and oxidative atmosphere

• Published in: Monatshefte für Chemie Vol. 147; no. 9; pp. 1507 - 1516
• Main Authors: Said, Abd El-Aziz A., Abd El-Wahab, Mohamed M. M., Abd El-Aal, Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Inorganic Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Original Paper; Physical Chemistry; Theoretical and Computational Chemistry; WO; γ-Al; Dimethyl ether; Dehydration; O; Methanol
• ISSN: 0026-9247; 1434-4475
• DOI: 10.1007/s00706-015-1649-7

Samples of WO 3 supported on γ-Al 2 O 3 with loadings w (WO 3 ) = 1–30 % were prepared by impregnation method and subjected to heat treatment at 500 and 550 °C for 3 h in a static air atmosphere. The catalysts were characterized by TG, DTA, XRD, TEM, TPD-pyridine, and N 2 sorption measurements. The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by the dehydration of isopropanol and the adsorption of pyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine. Catalytic activity and selectivity of the catalysts were investigated for the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether at 230 °C in a conventional fixed bed flow type reactor at atmospheric pressure using nitrogen or air as a carrier gas. The results revealed that the catalysts with w (WO 3 ) = 1–5 % loadings, calcined at 500 °C, exhibit a considerable increase in the catalytic performance toward methanol dehydration. The increase was, however, much more pronounced with the catalyst containing w (WO 3 ) = 5 %, which attained dimethyl ether in 89 % yield. Graphical abstract