The dehydration of 2-(4'-ethylbenzoyl) benzoic acid (BE acid) for the synthesis of 2-ethylanthraquinone (2-EAQ) has been studied over solid acid catalysts. Among the catalysts tested, a H-Beta zeolite, which was modified by dilute HNO3 solution, exhibited high catalytic performances. A 96.7% yield of 2-EAQ was achieved in our study in a batch reactor. The influences of various parameters, such as reaction temperature and time, the weight ratio of BE acid to H-Beta zeolite were investigated in detail.