Steam reforming of dimethyl ether to hydrogen-rich gas

The steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) (SR) to a hydrogen-rich gas over a mechanical mixture of WO_x/ZrO₂ (the DME hydration catalyst) and CuZnAlO_x (the methanol SR catalyst) was studied. The mechanically mixed catalyst was shown to provide almost complete conversion of DME to the hydrogen-rich gas containing <0.5 vol.% of CO at 300°C, atmospheric pressure, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 10000 h⁻¹ and molar ratio H₂O/DME = 3. The hydrogen production rate in DME SR was found to reach 180–250 mmol H₂/(g_cat·h) at 250–300°C.