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Acid-treated Clay Minerals as Catalysts for Dehydration of Methanol and Ethanol

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Monika Marosz ,
Andrzej Kowalczyk ,
Barbara Gil  and
Lucjan Chmielarz
Monika Marosz
Affiliation:
Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
Andrzej Kowalczyk
Affiliation:
Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
Barbara Gil
Affiliation:
Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
Lucjan Chmielarz*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: chmielar@chemia.uj.edu.pl
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Abstract

The purification of clay minerals prior to their use as catalysts can escalate processing costs so methods are needed whereby less purification is necessary. One such potential method is acid treatment of the unpurified clay minerals. The main objectives of the present study were to develop the optimal acid-treatment conditions and to determine how the acidic properties of the modified clay samples influenced their catalytic capability toward the dehydration of ethanol and methanol. Clay mineral samples – allophane, palygorskite, and sepiolite, without purification – were acid treated (0.8 M HNO3; 95°C; 2, 8, or 24 h) and after calcination (500°C; 6 h) tested as catalysts for the conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether and of ethanol to diethyl ether and ethene. The changes in chemical and structural compositions as well as surface acidity of the mineral samples were analyzed and correlated with their catalytic performance. Among the samples studied, allophane was the most catalytically active in the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether. Acid treatment of this mineral sample decreased methanol conversion slightly. An opposite effect was found for ethanol dehydration to diethyl ether, where acid treatment increased catalytic activity of allophane. The differences in catalytic performance of the mineral samples were discussed with respect to the nature and concentration of acid sites.

Keywords

Alcohol dehydrationAllophaneCatalysisPalygorskiteSepiolite
Type
Original Paper
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 68 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 23 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © Clay Minerals Society 2020

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