How is diethyl ether commercially produced from ethanol?

Diethyl ether is commercially produced from ethanol through a process known as intermolecular dehydration. Under carefully controlled conditions, this reaction involves the removal of water from two molecules of ethanol to form the ether.1

While this dehydration method is considered the most economical way to produce diethyl ether specifically, it is important to note that industrial production can also occur through other pathways. For instance, diethyl ether is also generated as a by-product during the large-scale synthesis of ethanol from ethylene. Because both the alcohol and the ether are valuable products, they can be easily separated from the resulting mixture.2