Experimental and computational optimisation of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether
Experimental and computational optimisation of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether
Meeting the International Maritime Organization's net-zero target by 2050 necessitates the replacement of marine fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives, such as dimethyl ether (DME). Silicon-doped aluminophosphate (SAPO) solid acid catalysts, particularly the weakly-acidic SAPO-11, can catalyse the selective dehydration of methanol-to-DME with exceptional stability. Herein, we present a combined experimental, computational fluid dynamics, and design of experiments study to augment catalyst efficiency and DME production, and to support scale-up endeavours. Using a four-dimensional design surface, it was found that longer catalyst beds and higher operating temperature increase DME yields, with the catalyst bed length having a more pronounced influence. In contrast, the use of highly concentrated methanol reactant streams had a detrimental effect and this was ascribed to a saturation of the active sites in the SAPO-11 catalyst. Improved single-pass conversions and catalyst longevity on industrial scales can thus be achieved by optimising both the number of acid sites in SAPO-11 and reaction parameters.
3216-3225
Walerowski, Maciej Grzegorz
ed579c7b-aae2-4426-a50d-d2d8bfe11dbb
Kyrimis, Stylianos
04c45390-bda3-4aab-9c11-42f5c2c308b0
Potter, Matthew
34dee7dc-2f62-4022-bb65-fc7b7fb526d2
Oakley, Alice
96be59c2-1bf8-4f05-a942-bfac1f81bdea
Carravetta, Marina
1b12fa96-4a6a-4689-ab3b-ccc68f1d7691
Armstrong, Lindsay-Marie
db493663-2457-4f84-9646-15538c653998
Raja, Robert
74faf442-38a6-4ac1-84f9-b3c039cb392b
Walerowski, Maciej Grzegorz
ed579c7b-aae2-4426-a50d-d2d8bfe11dbb
Kyrimis, Stylianos
04c45390-bda3-4aab-9c11-42f5c2c308b0
Potter, Matthew
34dee7dc-2f62-4022-bb65-fc7b7fb526d2
Oakley, Alice
96be59c2-1bf8-4f05-a942-bfac1f81bdea
Carravetta, Marina
1b12fa96-4a6a-4689-ab3b-ccc68f1d7691
Armstrong, Lindsay-Marie
db493663-2457-4f84-9646-15538c653998
Raja, Robert
74faf442-38a6-4ac1-84f9-b3c039cb392b
Walerowski, Maciej Grzegorz, Kyrimis, Stylianos, Potter, Matthew, Oakley, Alice, Carravetta, Marina, Armstrong, Lindsay-Marie and Raja, Robert
(2025)
Experimental and computational optimisation of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether.
Catalysis Science & Technology, 15 (10), .
(doi:10.1039/D5CY00062A).
Abstract
Meeting the International Maritime Organization's net-zero target by 2050 necessitates the replacement of marine fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives, such as dimethyl ether (DME). Silicon-doped aluminophosphate (SAPO) solid acid catalysts, particularly the weakly-acidic SAPO-11, can catalyse the selective dehydration of methanol-to-DME with exceptional stability. Herein, we present a combined experimental, computational fluid dynamics, and design of experiments study to augment catalyst efficiency and DME production, and to support scale-up endeavours. Using a four-dimensional design surface, it was found that longer catalyst beds and higher operating temperature increase DME yields, with the catalyst bed length having a more pronounced influence. In contrast, the use of highly concentrated methanol reactant streams had a detrimental effect and this was ascribed to a saturation of the active sites in the SAPO-11 catalyst. Improved single-pass conversions and catalyst longevity on industrial scales can thus be achieved by optimising both the number of acid sites in SAPO-11 and reaction parameters.
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Accepted/In Press date: 2 April 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 April 2025
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Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 501405
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/501405
ISSN: 2044-4753
PURE UUID: 9925e79b-b699-4865-9dc6-a2f0984556aa
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Date deposited: 30 May 2025 16:48
Last modified: 31 May 2025 02:12
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Contributors
Author:
Maciej Grzegorz Walerowski
Author:
Stylianos Kyrimis
Author:
Alice Oakley
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