In this study, direct synthesis of dimethyl ether
from synthesis gas was investigated. For this purpose,
H-mordenite zeolite was modified by wet impregnation of
aluminum oxide onto it. The prepared catalysts were
characterized by AAS, XRD and NH3-TPD analyses.
Results of catalytic tests indicated that H-mordenite modified with 8 wt% aluminum oxide was an appropriate catalyst for synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from methanol
in which methanol conversion and DME selectivity were
99.8 and 96.8%, respectively, without a noticeable change
in catalyst stability. A series of bifunctional catalysts, Cu–
ZnO–ZrO2/Al-modified H-mordenite, were prepared by coprecipitating sedimentation method and characterized.
Synthesis of DME via direct CO hydrogenation was then
evaluated in a three-phase slurry reactor. Experimental
results showed that Cu–ZnO–ZrO2/Al-modified H-mordenite was a suitable catalyst for the production of dimethyl
ether from synthesis gas. Ultimately, the effects of operating conditions such as temperature, pressure and feed
flow rate on the process performance of the determined
optimum bifunctional catalyst have been reported.