Purification of ethylene glycol derived from ethylene carbonate
US4519875A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 9, 1984 |
| Grant date | May 28, 1985 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 9, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S203/06
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Ethylene glycol is purified, particularly for fiber-grade applications, by removal of the residual ethylene carbonate from which the glycol was derived. The effluent from a reactor in which ethylene carbonate is hydrolyzed to ethylene glycol is distilled to produce a lower-boiling fraction comprising substantially ethylene glycol and water and a higher-boiling fraction comprising substantially ethylene glycol, higher glycols, and concentrated in hydrolysis catalyst. The higher-boiling fraction is recirculated to reflux against the lower-boiling product, thereby essentially completing the hydrolysis of unreacted ethylene carbonate thereby reducing the ethylene carbonate content of the ethylene glycol to very low levels suitable for fiber-grade applications.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.