FIELD: chemical or physical processes.
SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to versions of a method of producing a hydroxyl compound with 1–3 carbon atoms and to a system for producing a hydroxyl compound with 1–3 carbon atoms. One of the versions of the method includes the following stages: a) providing an oxygen-containing feedstock composition containing one or more oxygen-containing compounds with 1–3 carbon atoms selected from a group, consisting of glycolaldehyde, glyoxal, pyruvaldehyde, acetol and formaldehyde, and b) providing a hydrogenation catalyst material containing Cu on carbon, and then c) reacting the composition of step a) with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst of step b) and under conditions to provide gas-phase hydrogenation of the oxygen-containing compound to obtain a hydrogenation product composition, containing a hydroxy compound with 1–3 carbon atoms, selected from a group consisting of methanol, ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, and then d) separating the hydrogenation product composition.
EFFECT: present invention enables to obtain higher yields and high selectivities, as well as reduce the amount of undesirable by-products.
25 cl, 2 dwg, 3 ex
