Calibration-Based Screening of Diethyl Ether Concentration during Ethanol Dehydration over CuO/ZnO/γ-Al₂O₃
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Diethyl ether (DEE) is a valuable solvent and fuel additive produced by catalytic ethanol dehydration, but many reported studies use vapor-phase reactors operated above 80 0C. This study evaluated the DEE concentration obtained from liquid-phase ethanol dehydration over a CuO/ZnO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst in a batch reactor at lower temperatures. Each run used 500 mL of absolute ethanol and 15 g of catalyst (nominal mass ratio 1:1:1) in a 5 L reactor pressurized with nitrogen to an initial 2 bar, at 65, 70, 75, and 80 0C for 10-40 min. DEE in the liquid product was quantified by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) using a six-level external calibration over 0-25% (v/v), with a linear calibration relationship (%Area = 1.2211(%DEE) - 0.2790; R² = 0.9862). Single determinations at the 16 operating conditions gave calibrated DEE concentrations of 7.96-20.90% (v/v). The highest observed concentration was recorded at 70 0C and 20 min, and 70 0C also gave the highest descriptive mean across the four reaction times (17.33% v/v), whereas longer reaction times did not consistently increase the DEE concentration. These results provide a calibration-based screening of DEE concentration in liquid products at 65-80 0C and identify 70 0C as the condition to prioritize in replicate experiments. Conversion, selectivity, and replicate-based statistics require a complete product balance and replicate experiments in future work.
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Copyright © 2026 Alif Nur Laili Rachmah, Sabrianah Badaruddin, Muhammad Ikhsan Taipabu, Farida Diyah Hapsari, Esther Mutiara Santallum Ekklesia Tibalia
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