Dimethyl ether (DME): a clean fuel of the 21st century and catalysts for it

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a substitute of LNG and light oil. DME burns without particulate matters and SOx, so DME is a clean fuel. DME is a storage and carrier of hydrogen. For these usages, useful catalysts such as DME steam reforming catalysts and DME synthesis catalysts should be developed. I have developed those new effective Cu-Zn/Al2O3 catalysts. The catalysts prepared by a sol-gel method produce DME faster than usual mixed catalysts of methanol synthesis catalysts and methanol dehydration catalysts. The sol-gel Cu-Zn/Al2O3 catalysts also produce hydrogen faster than usual mixed catalysts of DME hydrolysis catalysts and methanol steam reforming catalysts. It is the reason why that alumina sites (working for dehydration and hydrolysis) and copper sites (working for methanol synthesis and methanol steam reforming) are co-existing and distributing well on the surfaces of the catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method. Therefore, the consecutive reactions (methanol synthesis, methanol dehydration, and water-gas shift reactions; or DME hydrolysis and methanol steam reforming reactions) smoothly occur, and DME and hydrogen is produced fast, respectively. These catalysts will be very effective for production of DME and hydrogen, and new energy system. The systems using these catalysts lead the hydrogen and DME society well.