Date of Award

4-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Abbas Khaleel

Second Advisor

Dr. Ahmed Alzamly

Third Advisor

Dr. lhsan Shehadi

Abstract

Solid acid catalysts, such as γ-alumina, are important materials in different catalytic applications such as dehydration reactions of alcohols. Methanol is one of the most important intermediates that can be obtained from natural gas and can be further converted to other efficient fuels and chemicals. Dimethyl ether, which can be obtained from methanol, is being considered as a promising future fuel besides being the building block for several industrially important chemicals. Although γ-alumina has shown significant activity for the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether, improving the conversion and the selectivity at relatively low temperatures is still a major concern. In the present work, γ-alumina was modified by doping with gallium ions and the dopant effect on the textural properties, surface acidity, and the performance of the catalysts in the methanol dehydration to DME was investigated. The catalysts were prepared in different compositions using sol-gel method and different preparative conditions were studied and correlated with the final properties of the catalysts. The prepared catalysts were characterized by different physical and chemical techniques and the catalytic activity of the prepared composites was evaluated at different reaction temperatures.

Included in

Chemistry Commons

COinS