METHOD OF PRODUCING ETHYLENE GLYCOL Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC C07C29/09 C07C29/12 C07C31/20 C07D301/04 C07D301/32 C07D303/04 C07D317/38 

FIELD: technological processes.

SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to a method of producing ethylene glycol, involving following steps: (i) supplying ethylene and oxygen and an organic chloride moderator to an ethylene oxide reactor wherein ethylene and oxygen react in presence of a catalyst to produce ethylene oxide, thereby producing a reactor product stream; (ii) supplying reactor product stream to an ethylene oxide absorber wherein ethylene oxide is recovered from reactor product stream by absorption in water in absorber section, thereby producing a rich absorbent stream; (iii) supplying rich absorbent stream to an ethylene oxide stripper wherein rich absorbent stream is steam stripped, thereby producing a concentrated ethylene oxide stream and a lean absorbent stream; (iv) recirculating lean absorbent stream through ethylene oxide absorber; (v) optionally supplying concentrated ethylene oxide stream to one or more carboxylation reactors wherein ethylene oxide reacts with carbon dioxide to form an ethylene carbonate stream; and (vi) supplying concentrated ethylene oxide stream and/or ethylene carbonate stream to one or more hydrolysis reactors wherein ethylene oxide and/or ethylene carbonate reacts with water in presence of a hydrolysis catalyst selected from one or more basic alkali metal salts to form an ethylene glycol stream. Method includes additional steps: (vii) removing a glycol bleed stream from ethylene oxide stripper and (viii) adding a base to ethylene oxide stripper such that pH in bottom section of stripper is maintained in range of from at least 9.5 to at most 12.0.

EFFECT: proposed method reduces amount of chloroethanol present in reaction, and reduces or completely prevents decomposition of hydrolysis catalyst.

10 cl, 2 dwg