MOF-808: a novel solid-acid catalyst for methanol conversion to environmentally clean fuel dimethyl ether

In this study, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on zirconium which are called MOF-808 were synthesized by solvothermal method. A series of Zr-MOF were synthesized at different temperatures and reaction times to find the best synthesis samples to produce dimethyl ether from dehydration of methanol. As synthesized MOFs were characterized with x-ray diffraction, standard electron microscopy, and BET, they showed high methanol conversion and selectivity for methanol oxidation. The relationship between crystallinity, reactivity and relation catalysts life was discussed. For the first time, this MOF was used as a solid catalyst in the conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether due to its thermal stability and moderate acidity. The results show that all samples had a crystalline structure and were properly synthesized. The performance of the synthesized catalysts, the selectivity, and the effect of reactor temperature in the conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether in a tubular reactor with weight hourly space velocity = 5 h−1 were investigated. The highest surface area is nearly 1360 m2/g, size dimension of samples is in the range of 200–800 nm, and the highest Langmuir surface area is 1530 m2/g.