Direct Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from CO2 & CO over Bifunctional Methanol Synthesis & Silicotungstic Acid Incorporated Mesoporous Alumina Catalyst Mixtures

Direct synthesis of dimethyl ether was achieved using a bifunctional catalyst pair composed of silicotungstic acid impregnated mesoporous alumina and a copper based methanol synthesis catalyst.  Presence of CO₂ in the feed stream significantly enhanced DME selectivity, giving a maximum with the feed composition of H₂/CO/CO₂=50/40/10. DME selectivity values approaching to 0.9 were highly promising.