METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ALKYLENE GLYCOL Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC C07C29/10 C07C31/20 B01D3/20 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to production of alkylene glycol from the corresponding alkene. Invention relates to a method of producing alkylene glycol from alkene, involving the following steps: (a) feeding a gas mixture containing alkylene oxide, alkene, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor to a lower portion of the alkylene oxide absorber, wherein said absorber comprises a column with stacks arranged one above another, wherein each of the stacks arranged one above the other comprises a perforated element or elements for the gas-liquid contact, a liquid inlet area, a drain partition extending vertically above the tray surface on the opposite end of the tray from the liquid inlet area, and an element of an overflow sleeve which, together with the inner wall of the column wall, forms an overflow sleeve for moving the liquid downward into the liquid inlet region of the vertically adjacent tray immediately below, wherein each of the drain walls is equipped with one or more holes located below the upper edge of the above drain web, wherein the drain partition on each tray has a height of at least 200 mm and not more than 1500 mm and enables the gas mixture to pass up through the column; (b) feeding an unsaturated absorbent into an upper portion of the alkylene oxide absorber and enabling the unsaturated absorbent to move down the column, the unsaturated absorbent comprising at least 5 wt. % water; and (c) close contact of the gas mixture with the unsaturated absorbent on the trays in the alkylene oxide absorber in the presence of one or more catalysts which facilitate carboxylation and hydrolysis; and (d) removing saturated absorbent from alkylene oxide absorber. Invention also relates to an absorber.

EFFECT: technical result is reduction of column size, reduction of both capital investments and operating costs with simultaneous preservation of high selectivity for production of monoethylene glycol.

9 cl, 1 dwg