Impact of Various Silicon Sources on the Synthesis of Mordenite and Differences in the Carbonylation Reaction of Dimethyl Ether

This study introduces an innovative method for synthesizing mordenite (MOR) by employing a combination of water glass and fumed silica as the silica source. The zeolite produced through this method exhibits a smaller grain size, a larger specific surface area, and a greater number of Brønsted acid sites compared to the conventionally synthesized mordenite using silica sol. Furthermore, the chemical environment of framework Al in MOR zeolites is influenced by different silica sources, leading to varied acid properties between the two MOR zeolites, which results in an enhanced activity of dimethyl ether carbonylation from 50% to over 83%.