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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Organic Structure-directing Agent-free Synthesis for *BEA-type Zeolite Membrane
Published on: February 22, 2020
Efficient Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from Methanol in a Bifunctional Zeolite Membrane Reactor
Chen Zhou1, Nanyi Wang2, Yanan Qian3
1Institute of New Energy Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, CAS, 1219 Zhongguan Road, 315201, Ningbo, P.R. China.
Abstract:
A sandwich FAU-LTA zeolite dual-layer membrane has been developed and used as a catalytic membrane reactor for the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME). In the top H-FAU layer with mild acidity, methanol is dehydrated to DME. The other reaction product, water, is removed in situ through a hydrophilic Na-LTA layer, which is located between the porous alumina support and the H-FAU top layer. The combination of mild acidity with the continuous removal of water results in high methanol conversion (90.9 % at 310 °C) and essentially 100 % DME selectivity. Furthermore, owing to the selective and continuous removal of water through the Na-LTA membrane, catalyst deactivation can be effectively suppressed.
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