Hydration of dimethyl ether to methanol over solid acids

The hydration of dimethyl ether (DME) to methanol over various solid acids was studied. The acidity of the catalysts is determined by FTIR spectroscopy. The hydration is found to occur predominantly on the Bronsted acid sites. Among the catalysts studied, WOx/ZrO2 and H-ZSM-5 appeared to be most active and selective.