biostudies-literatureUnknown12(1)El-Aal MAAssiut UniversityIn this work, the production of dimethyl ether (DME) from methanol over natural kaolin clay modified through impregnation with various percentages of H₂SO₄, WO₃, or ZrO₂ catalysts was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized via X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and N₂-sorption analysis. The acidity of these catalysts was determined through the dehydration of isopropyl alcohol and the chemisorption of pyridine. The catalytic activity performance revealed that the addition of modifiers into kaolin enhanced the latter's activity toward DME production. In addition, the kaolin clay modified with 10 wt% ZrO₂ exhibited excellent activity of Scientific reports9407https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9174221biostudies-literatureModified natural kaolin clay as an active, selective, and stable catalyst for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether.PMC9174221El-Aal MAAbdallah MHSaid AEAGoda MNfalseModified natural kaolin clay as an active, selective, and stable catalyst for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether.In this work, the production of dimethyl ether (DME) from methanol over natural kaolin clay modified through impregnation with various percentages of H₂SO₄, WO₃, or ZrO₂ catalysts was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized via X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and N₂-sorption analysis. The acidity of these catalysts was determined through the dehydration of isopropyl alcohol and the chemisorption of pyridine. The catalytic activity performance revealed that the addition of modifiers into kaolin enhanced the latter's activity toward DME production. In addition, the kaolin clay modified with 10 wt% ZrO₂ exhibited excellent activity of 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Jun2025-04-04T03:05:40.656Z2025-02-19T05:06:19.786ZS-EPMC91742213567239710.1038/s41598-022-13349-0