Methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether over strong-acid-modified diatomite catalysts

Dimethyl ether synthesis via methanol dehydration over strong-acid-modified (with sulfuric, hydrochloric and nitric acid) diatomite (DM) catalysts was conducted in a fixed-bed reactor with elevated temperature reaction from 250 to 350 degrees C. The modified DM catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fourier transform Raman spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, temperature-programmed of carbon dioxide, thermal gravimetric analysis, and solid-state 27Aluminum magic angle spinning/nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It was found that sulfuric-acid-modified DM catalyst yielded the highest DME selectivity (similar to 99%). It was also revealed that methanol conversion depended on Al ions. The methanol conversion increased with Al-(IV) but decreased with Al-(V) and Al-(VI).