Influence of precursors on the catalytic activity of alumina for bio-ethanol dehydration in microchannel reactors

In this paper, the catalytic activity of alumina for bio-ethanol dehydration was studied in a microchannel reactor. Five catalysts were prepared from precursors with different ratios of AlOOH (pseudo boehmite) and Al(OH)(3) (bayerite). The physicochemical properties of catalysts were characterised by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD). The influence of reaction temperature and space velocity was investigated. The results show that the catalyst prepared from precursor with AlOOH 46.3 mol% has the highest ethanol conversion and ethylene selectivity. An ethylene yield of 18.28 g/(g(cat).h) can be achieved, implying that the dehydration process can be intensified using microchannel reactors.