Synthesis of nanocrystalline γ-Al_2O_3 by sol-gel and precipitation methods for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether

The capability of sol-gel and conventional precipitation techniques for the synthesis of nanocrystalline γ-alumina was investigated. These catalysts were used for vapor-phase dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether in a fixed-bed reactor under the same operating conditions （T = 300 ？C, P = 1 bar, LHSV = 2.8, 11.7, 26.1 h？1） and characterized by means of N2 adsorption-desorption, NH3-TPD, XRD, TGA and SEM techniques. According to the experimental results, the catalysts prepared using sol-gel method in non-aqueous medium showed better performance compared with those prepared by other methods.

Catalytic performance of hierarchical H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether

Micro-mesoporous composite molecular sieves H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 were prepared by the hydrothermal technique with alkali-treated H-ZSM-5zeolite as the source and characterized by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption-desorption measurement and NH3 temperature-programmed desorption.The catalytic performances for the methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether over H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 were evaluated.Among these catalysts,H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 prepared with NaOH dosage (nNa/nSi) varying from 0.4 to 0.47 presented excellent catalytic activity with more than 80%methanol conversion and 100%dimethyl ether selectivity in a wide temperature range of 170—300℃,and H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 prepared with nNa/nSi=0.47 showed constant methanol conversion of about 88.7%,100% dimethyl ether selectivity and excellent lifetime at 220℃.The excellent catalytic performances were due to the highly active and uniform acidic sites and the hierarchical porosity in the micro-mesoporous composite molecular sieves.The catalytic mechanism of H-ZSM-5/MCM-41 for the methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether process was also discussed.

Preparation of nanocrystalline γ-Al_2O_3 catalyst using different procedures for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether

A series of nanocrystalline γ-alumina are synthesized by different procedures, namely, thermal decomposition method （sample A）, precipita-tion method （sample B） and sol-gel method using sucrose and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） as templates （samples C and D, respectively）. Textural and acidic properties of γ-alumina samples are characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption and NH3-TPD techniques. Vapor-phase dehydration of methanol into dimethyl ether is carried out over these samples. Among them, sample C shows the highest catalytic activity. NH3-TPD analysis reveals that the sample with smaller crystallite size possesses higher concentration of medium acidic sites and consequently higher catalytic activity. Thermal decomposition method leads to decrease in both surface area and moderate acidity, therefore it is the cause of lower catalytic activity.

Optimization of hydrothermal synthesis of H-ZSM-5 zeolite for dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether using full factorial design

H-ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The effects of different synthesis parameters, such as hydrothermal crystallization temperature （170-190 ℃） and Si/A1 molar ratio （100-150）, on the catalytic performance of the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether （DME） over the synthesized H-ZSM-5 zeolite were studied. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, NH3-TPD, TGA/DTA, and SEM techniques. The full factorial design of experiments was applied to the synthesis of H-ZSM-5 zeolite and the effects of synthesis conditions and their interaction on the yield of DME as the response variable were determined. Analysis of variance showed that two variables and their interaction significantly affected the response. According to the experimental results, the optimized catalyst prepared at 170℃ with the Si/A1 molar ratio of 100 showed the best catalytic performance among the tested H-ZSM-5 zeolite.

Experimental Study and Modeling of an Adiabatic Fixed-bed Reactor for Methanol Dehydration to Dimethyl Ether

One-dimensional heterogeneous plug flow model was employed to model an adiabatic fixed-bed reactor for the catalytic dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether.Longitudinal temperature and conversion profiles predicted by this model were compared to those experimentally measured in a bench scale reactor.The reactor was packed with 1.5mm γ-Al2O3 pellets as dehydration catalyst and operated in a temperature range of 543-603K at an atmospheric pressure.Also,the effects of weight hourly space velocity(WHSV)and temperature on methanol conversion were investigated.According to the results,the maximum conversion is obtained at 603.15K with WHSV of 72.87h-1.

Polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers synthesis from methanol and formaldehyde solution over one-pot synthesized spherical mesoporous sulfated zirconia

The synthesis of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers as an ideal diesel fuel additive is the current hot topic of modern petrochemical industry for their expedient properties in mitigating air pollutants emission during combustion.In this work,a series of spherical sulfated zirconia catalysts were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method assisted with surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB).The prepared sulfated zirconia catalysts were used to catalyze PODEn synthesis from methanol and formaldehyde solution.Various characterization(XRD,BET,SEM,TGA,NH_(3)-TPD,FTIR,and Py-IR)were employed to elaborate the structure–activity relationship of the studied catalytic system.The results demonstrated that S/Zr molar ratio in precursor solution played an effective role on catalyst morphology and acidic properties,where the weak Brønsted acid sites and strong Lewis acid sites were favorable to the conversion of methanol and formation of long-chain PODEn,respectively.The reaction parameters such as catalyst amount,molar ratio of FA/MeOH,reaction time,temperature and pressure were optimized.The speculated reaction pathway for PODEn synthesis was proposed based on the synergy of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites,which suggested that Brønsted and Lewis acid sites might be advantageous to the activation of polyoxymethylene hemiformals[CH_(3)(OCH_(2))_(n)OH]and methylene glycol(HOCH_(2)OH),respectively.

Ferrierite vs. γ-Al_2O_3: The superiority of zeolites in terms of water-resistance in vapour-phase dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether

The catalytic conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether(DME) over a series of home-made FER-type zeolites having different acidities and commercial γ-Al_2O_3 has been studied with the aim to understand the impact of adding water in the reactant stream on the catalytic behavior on investigated materials. Cofeeding water with methanol, the alcohol conversion was slightly reduced over the investigated zeolites while the catalytic activity of γ-Al_2O_3, the traditional catalyst of MeOH-to-DME conversion, was strongly inhibited. It was also found that, for the investigated zeolites, both the amount and the initial deposition rate of the coke formed during the reaction were reduced when water was co-fed with methanol while no significant effects on both methanol conversion and DME selectivity were observed under the investigated conditions.

Study on Synergy Effect in Dimethyl Ether Synthesis from Syngas

Influence of reaction temperature, pressure and space velocity on the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas is studied in an isothermal fixed-bed reactor. The catalyst is a physical mixture of C301 copper-based methanol (MeOH) synthesis catalyst and ZSM-5 dehydration catalyst. The experimental results show that the chemical synergy between methanol synthesis reaction and methanol dehydration reaction is evident. The conversion of carbon monoxide is over 90%.

The effect of FER zeolite acid sites in methanol-to-dimethyl-ether catalytic dehydration

In this paper, the effect of acidity of zeolites with FER framework was studied in the methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether reaction, by comparing catalysts with different Si/Al ratios(namely 8, 30 and60). The aim of this work was to investigate how the acid sites concentration, strength, distribution and typology(Br?nsted and Lewis) affect methanol conversion, DME selectivity and coke formation. It was found that the aluminium content affects slightly acid sites strength whilst a relevant effect on acid sites concentration and distribution(Br?nsted/Lewis) was observed as 24% of Lewis sites were found on Alrichest samples, whilst less than 10% of Lewis acid sites were observed on FER at higher Si/Al ratio. All the investigated catalyst samples showed a selectivity toward DME always greater than 0.9 and samples with the lowest Si/Al ratio exhibit the best performances in terms of methanol conversion, approaching the theoretical equilibrium value(around 0.85) at temperatures below 200 °C. Turnover-frequency analysis suggests that this result seems to be related not only to the higher amount of acid sites but also that the presence of Lewis acid sites may play a significant role in converting methanol. On the other hand, the presence of Lewis acid sites, combined with a high acidity, promote the formation of by-products(mainly methane) and coke deposition during the reaction. As final evidence, all the investigated catalysts exhibit very high resistance to deactivation by coke deposition, over 60 h continuous test, and a GC–MS analysis of the coke deposited on the catalyst surface reveals tetra-methyl benzene as main component.

Efficient synthesis of poly(oxymethylene) dimethyl ethers over PVP-stabilized heteropolyacids through self-assembly

A series of polyvinylpyrrolidone-stabilized heteropolyacids(PVP-HPAs)are generated by self-assembly of HPAs and PVP in methanol.The PVP-HPAs are then employed as catalysts for the synthesis of poly(oxymethylene)dimethyl ethers(DMMn,n1)by the methanolysis of trioxane.The results suggest that the acidity of PVP-HPAs is tunable by changing the ratio of PVP and HPAs,which is a key factor for the selectivity of the DMMn product.By optimizing the composition and reaction conditions,two types of PVP-HPA,PVP-phosphotungstic acid(PVP-HPW)in a PVP/HPW ratio of 1/4:1 and PVP-silicotungstic acid(PVP-HSi W)in a PVP/HSi W ratio of 1/4:3/4,respectively afford 52.4%and 50.3%yields of DMM2–5.The optimized catalysts are reusable for a minimum of 10 times without a significant drop in performance.

Thermodynamics of the Single-Step Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from Syngas

A detailed thermodynamic analysis of single-step synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas has been performed. From experiments and theoretical calculations, a suitable thermodynamic model based on Reid抯 thermodynamic data and the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state was determined. Using this model, a careful analysis of direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from syngas was carried out. Reaction syn-ergy in the synthesis can greatly improve CO conversion and DME yield. Lower temperatures and higher pressures favor higher CO conversion and DME yield. Compared to methanol synthesis, however, the tem-perature has a smaller effect on the reaction. The direct synthesis of dimethyl ether can exploit CO-rich syngas efficiently due to the maximum DME yield obtained at H2/(CO+CO2) mole ratio =1. A small amount of CO2 in the reactant mixture has little effect on the reaction. Under conditions of H2/(CO+CO2) feedstock, water in the system can improve the reaction performance.

Inhibition Effects of CH_(4)/CH_(3)OH on Dimethyl Ether Cool Flames

CH_(4)/DME mixtures can be used for engines and gas turbines,and have already been studied for many years.However,DME has a strong cool flame phenomenon,which will greatly influence the ignition and combustion characteristics of following hot flames.Therefore,the cool flame characteristics of CH_(4)/DME mixture are very important for their utilization.Recently,the inhibition effect of CH_(4)on DME cool flames has been discovered,but the mechanisms of the inhibition effects lack further verification and research.In this study,the inhibition effects were investigated via both experiments and simulations.In order to validate the inhibition effects,a comparison fuel of CH_(3)OH/DME was also used in this study.The extinction limits,flame temperatures and combustion products of the cool flames of the CH_(4)/DME and CH_(3)OH/DME mixtures were measured using a counterflow burner,and the reaction paths and heat release rate were derived from the HPMech-v3.3.The results indicate that CH_(4)and CH_(3)OH will both inhibit the cool flame of DME via competing with DME for OH and O radicals,and CH_(3)OH has stronger inhibition effects than CH_(4),because it is more competitive and produces more CH2O,which inhibits the oxidation of DME.The HPMech-v3.3 closely agrees with the experimental data,but still needs to be improved.

Influence of Reaction Conditions on Methanol Synthesis and WGS Reaction in the Syngas-to-DME Process

A series of CuO-ZnO catalysts （with different Cu/Zn molar ratios） were prepared, and evaluated under the reaction conditions of syngas-to-dimethyl ether （DME） with three sorts of feed gas and different space velocity. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and temperatureprogrammed reduction （TPR）. The experiment results showed that the reaction conditions of syngas-to- DME process greatly affected the methanol synthesis and WGS reaction. The influence caused by Cu/Zn molar ratio was quite different on the two reactions; increasing of percentage of CO2 in feed gas was unfavorable for catalyst activity, and also inhibited both reactions; enhancement of reaction space velocity heavily influenced the performance of the catalyst, and the benefits were relatively less for methanol synthesis than for the WGS reaction.

Conversion of syngas to methanol and DME on highly selective Pd/ZnAl_(2)O_(4) catalyst

Supported Pd catalysts with varied Pd loadings(x=0.5 wt%, 2.0 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 7.5 wt%, 15.0 wt%) were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method using a ZnAl_(2)O_(4) spinel support.We found that ZnAl_(2)O_(4) supported Pd catalysts with low Pd loadings(e.g., 0.5 wt%) are very selective in syngas conversion to methanol and dimethyl-ether(DME).XRD and TEM characterization shows that,after reduction at350℃,PdZnβ phase with Pd:Zn molar ratio of 1:1 is favored to form predominantly on the spinel support at relatively low Pd loadings,i.e.less than 5.0 wt%, while Pd-rich PdZnα alloy phase exists at Pd loadings above 5.0 wt%.A higher reduction temperature such as 500℃ can facilitate the transformation from PdZnα to PdZnβ phase in those catalysts with high Pd loading.We further found that catalysts with predominant PdZnβ phase are selective in the methanol and DME production from syngas,while the presence of PdZnα phase leads to the notable formation of alkanes byproducts,resulting in reduced methanol and DME selectivity.DME formation from dehydration of methanol depends on the acidity of catalysts,which was found to increase with Pd loading,probably due to the formation of isolated Al_(2)O_(3) as a result of Zn migrating from ZnAl_(2)O_(4) spinel phase to form the PdZn phases with Pd.

Methanol and DME Co-production from CO2 hydrogenation over hybrid catalysts

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 into methanol and dimethyl ether was carried out over hybrid catalysts consisting of methanol-synthesis catalyst and zeolite. The methanol-synthesis catalyst, Cu/ZnO/Al2O3, was prepared by a co-precipitation method. Then it was physically mixed with HZSM-5 zeolite at weight ratios of 2：1, 1：1 and 1：2. The CO2 hydrogenation reaction was conducted in a fixed-bed microreactor at 250℃ and 40 bar in pre-mixed H2/CO2 feed with H2：CO2 molar ratios of 3：1 and 7：1. Products detected include methanol, dimethyl ether, carbon monoxide and water. Conversion of CO2 and yield of oxygenated products were influenced by the weight ratio of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3：HZSM-5 in the hybrid system and also the feed ratio. The Cu/ZnO/Al2O3： HZSM-5 hybrid at 1：1 resulted in methanol yield of 22.0% and was found to be an efficient hybrid catalyst for the CO2 hydrogenation reaction.

Proton Conducting Composite Membranes from Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone and SiO_2

Proton conducting composite membranes from sulfonated polyether ether ketone and SiO2 for direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC） application were prepared with sulfonated polyether ether ketone（SPEEK） and tetracethoxy silane（TEOS） by sol-gel method. The covalent crosslinking structure was formed between —SO3H of SPEEK via SiO2. The SEM images show that the interfacial compatibility of SPEEK and SiO2 is improved obviously and SiO2 disperses uniformly in the polymer matrix and the particle diameter of SiO2 does not exceed 40 nm. The proton conductivity of composite membranes decreases slightly compared with the SPEEK membrane while the methanol permeability and swelling of composite membrane are improved remarkablely owing to covalent cross-linking between —SO3H and SiO2 .

High Proton Conducting SPEEK/SiO_2/ PWA Composite Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Sulfonated polyether ether ketone （SPEEK） based composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC） application were prepared by sol-gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane （TEOS） in the SPEEK matrix and the incorporation of phosphotungstic acid （PWA）.The conductivity of the developed membranes was determined by impedance spectroscopy and the methanol permeability through the membranes was obtained from diffuseness experiments.The SEM images show that the addition of SiO2 and the covalent cross-linking structure lead to fine PWA particles and more uniformly dispersion.The swelling of composite membranes remains in the range of 5%-8% at 30-90 ℃ and the effusion of PWA reduces significantly.The composite membranes show a good balance in higher proton conductivity and lower methanol permeation.The cell with composite membrane has higher open circuit voltage（0.728 V） and higher peak power density（45 mW/cm2） than that with Nafion117.

掺混含氧燃料对混合燃料喷射特性的影响研究

为探究添加含氧燃料对燃料喷射特性的影响,将体积分数均为50%的聚甲氧基二甲醚(PODE)和正丁醇掺混于柴油制得PODE-柴油混合燃料和正丁醇-柴油混合燃料,标记为P50和B50。在高压共轨试验台上使用基于冲量法的喷射特性测试系统,研究了柴油、PODE-柴油混合燃料、正丁醇-柴油混合燃料三种燃料在多种工况下的喷射特性差异。结果表明,掺混含氧燃料对喷油速率有较大的影响:P50的体积流量小于柴油,而质量流量则相反;B50和柴油的喷油速率在低压下差异很小,但当压力升高至130 MPa时,二者的喷油速率差异明显;相同脉宽及喷射压力时与柴油相比,循环喷油量以体积计,B50大于柴油且差距随压力上升而增大,而P50则低于柴油且差距随压力上升而缩小;循环喷油量以质量计,P50和B50均高于柴油且差异率随压力上升而增大,但B50和柴油差异率的上升幅度比P50小;以喷射能量计,除小脉宽工况外,B50和P50的喷射能量均小于柴油,喷射能量由大到小排序为柴油、B50、P50。

氧化铝结构与表面性质调控及其催化甲醇脱水制二甲醚性能研究

二甲醚(DME)作为一种关键的化工原料,被广泛用于合成众多重要的化学品及能源产品。在工业生产中用于从甲醇制备DME的催化剂γ-Al_(2)O_(3)因其高效的催化性能而得到普遍应用。然而,γ-Al_(2)O_(3)的合成方法和制备条件对其催化性能有着显著的影响。目前,对于工业上常用的γ-Al_(2)O_(3)合成条件如何影响其催化性能的系统研究仍然不足。特别是,作为影响催化性能的关键因素之一,酸性位点的性质尚未形成共识。通过调控双铝法成胶过程中母液的pH,成功合成了一系列具有不同孔道结构和酸性质的γ-Al_(2)O_(3)。实验结果表明,随着母液pH的增大,γ-Al_(2)O_(3)的比表面积、孔容和孔径均呈现减小趋势。同时,γ-Al_(2)O_(3)的弱酸量逐渐减小,而中强酸量呈现先增后减的趋势。进一步结合催化性能评估结果,发现中强酸数量与甲醇脱水性能密切相关。具有最高中强酸数量的γ-Al_(2)O_(3)表现出最高的DME产率,预示中强酸位点是γ-Al_(2)O_(3)催化甲醇脱水制备DME的主要活性中心。针对具有最优性能的γ-Al_(2)O_(3)开展动力学实验分析,得到甲醇脱水的反应级数为0.78,反应活化能为83.27 kJ/mol。研究可为甲醇脱水制备DME催化剂的设计提供指导,为进一步优化工业生产条件和提高催化效率夯实基础。

甲醇/二甲醚氧化转化研究进展

由甲醇/二甲醚通过催化氧化合成高附加值含氧化学品(如甲醛、甲酸甲酯、甲缩醛、聚甲氧基二甲醚等),具有原子经济性好、产品有特色、碳排放低的优势,作为高值利用途径得到了广泛关注。在甲醇/二甲醚氧化转化的过程中也面临着一系列挑战,包括低温下C-H键活化困难、高温时易发生深度氧化,以及更大分子产物中C-O键的可控链增长难度大等问题。本综述将重点介绍相关研究团队在低温下甲醇/二甲醚分子中C-H键的活化断键规律以及在更长C-O键可控链增长方面的最新研究进展,勾勒出几个代表性催化反应机制的概貌,以期为这一领域及相关研究提供有价值的参考。