New Synthesis Method of Ethanol from Dimethyl Ether with a Synergic Effect between the Zeolite Catalyst and Metallic Catalyst

摘要

Ethanol is becoming very important recently because it can be used solely or blended with hydrocarbons as alternative fuel. Furthermore, it can be converted to ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) by a reaction with tert-butene, which is a safe octane number booster. Industrially, ethanol is produced from ethylene hydra-tion by an acidic catalyst, but ethylene is from naphtha. In agriculture, ethanol is obtained by fermentation of starch or other edible materials. With the increasing application of ethanol as motor fuel, which is regarded to reduce CO_2 emission, the price of food increases quickly because a part of food is converted to ethanol as motor fuel.