Ethanol dehydration to diethyl ether over Cu-Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts

Dehydration of ethanol to diethyl ether (DEE) was studied over Cu-Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts over the temperature range of 160-220 degrees C. Metal loaded samples were prepared by wet impregnation and characterized using specific surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed desorption of NH3. The presence of Fe on ZSM-5 did not change the acidity of ZSM-5 but did decrease its crystallinity. On the other hand, the presence of Cu changed the acidity of ZSM-5 and favored DEE formation. The important result of the present work is the establishment of a correlation between the moderate strength of acid sites of Cu/ZSM-5