Conversion of Ethylene Oxide to Its Various Products Including Isomers on Commercial Scale

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Abstract

To suppress the conversion of ethylene into the ethylenedichloride (the last reaction), the concentration of ethylene is maintained atabout 4–6%, and the solution is heated by steam to the boiling point. Next,aqueous solution of ethylene chlorohydrin enters the second column, where itreacts with a 30% solution of calcium hydroxide at 100 °C: The produced ethylene oxide is purified by rectification.The chlorohydrin process allows to reach 95% conversion of ethylenechlorohydrin. The yield of ethylene oxide is about 80% of the theoreticalvalue; for 1 ton of ethylene oxide, about 200 kg of ethylene dichloride isproduced.