Dimethyl ether and catalyst development for production from syngas

Dimethyl ether (DME) is manufactured from syngas using an indirect DME-synthesis method (two-step process), that consists of a methanol synthesis and dehydration process. The price of DME for this method depends on the methanol price; therefore, an economical process should be developed. A direct DME-synthesis method (one-step process) has been developed and the catalysts consist of methanol-synthesis catalysts and methanol-dehydration catalysts. Syngas, the raw material for DME, is produced from natural gas, coal and biomass for example. Currently, DME can be produced from biomass, so DME is in the spotlight as a potential biofuel. We have developed new catalysts and the Cu–Zn/Al2O3 catalysts prepared using the sol–gel methods, which are very effective for direct DME synthesis. Even if the raw gas is contaminated with oxygen, DME is effectively produced over these sol–gel catalysts. We hope that these catalysts will be widely used for economical DME synthesis from biomass, helping to solve environmental problems.