Study of acid-modified aluminum oxides produced by centrifugal thermal activation in dehydration of ethanol

Abstract

Possibility of using products formed in centrifugal thermal activation of hydrargillite to obtain alumina catalysts washed to remove admixtures of alkali metals was considered. A comparison of the physicochemical and catalytic properties of the samples demonstrated that washing with water is more favorable than that with nitric acid; the catalytic activity and acid-base properties of the catalyst surface are determined not only by the content of Na, but also by the whole set of catalyst preparation conditions. The most active of the samples obtained in the study has acidity close to that of industrial aluminum oxide produced by the reprecipitation method, but surpasses it in activity: at 370°C, the total yield of ethylene and diethyl ether reaches a value of 88.8 mol %, which is 4% higher than that for the reference sample.