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Patent Pending Strong acid desiccants cause the dehydration of ethanol to form diethyl ether and other byproducts. If the dehydration temperature exceeds around 160 °C (320 °F), ethylene will be the main product. Millions of kilograms of diethyl ether are produced annually using sulfuric acid catalyst: 2 CH3CH2OH → CH3CH2OCH2CH3 + H2O (on 120 °C)