Partial oxidation of dimethyl ether by air into synthesis gas over Pt- and Rh/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2–δ catalysts

Abstract Dimethyl ether partial oxidation (DME PO) by air was studied over composite oxide Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 supported Pt and Rh catalysts at temperatures 300–650 °C under atmospheric pressure, WHSV = 10 L·gcat−1·h−1 and DME/O2 molar ratio of 2. The BET, XRD, TEM and TPO techniques were used for catalyst characterization. Thermodynamic equilibrium product distribution of DME PO was calculated and used as reference data for interpreting the experimental results. Both catalysts demonstrated stable performance and coking resistance at DME PO. At 650 °C the catalysts provided complete conversion of DME and О2 into a gas mixture of composition close to the thermodynamic equilibrium one. Synthesis gas productivity was >10 L·gcat−1·h−1, its concentration in the outlet gas mixture exceeded 50 vol % that is quite suitable for solid oxide fuel cell feeding applications.