Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2007 number 1

Steam conversion of dimethyl ether (DME) into a hydrogen-bearing gas on bifunctional СuO-CeO₂/
γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts that contain superficial sites that afford passing the reactions of DME hydration and steam conversion of methanol have been investigated. It has been demonstrated that the catalysts offer a high activity and selectivity in steam conversion of DME. Their productivity with respect to hydrogen comprises 0.47-0.61 mol Н₂/(g_cat · h) at 350 ^oC, with the feed rate of the reaction mixture being 10 000 h^-1, and at the molar ratio Н₂О/DME being equal to 3. As this takes place, the volume fraction of CO in the generated hydrogen-bearing gas is substantially lower than the equilibrium value and it does not exceed 1 %.