Silver modified molecular sieve catalysts for the dehydration of various alcohols

DFT (Density Functional Theory) was applied to calculate the free energy of molecules in order to demonstrate intermolecular dehydration reactions were easier to proceed. Subsequently, the gas phase dehydration of ethylene glycol by the addition of silver (Ag) to the K-ZSM-5 (molecular sieve) in a fixed bed was evaluated. The catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance in the dioxane yield (ca. 77%) at 523 K and in the ethylene oxide yield (ca. 72%) at 623 K. Importantly, the catalyst was recycled several times with no reduction in activity and this method offered a green, efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly process.