Patent attributes
A process for the production of ethylene glycol including the steps of:(i) providing, to a first reactor, a carbohydrate source, a solvent, hydrogen, a first heterogeneous catalyst, which first heterogeneous catalyst contains one or more transition metals from groups 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and a homogeneous catalyst, which homogeneous catalyst contains tungsten;(ii) reacting, in the first reactor, at a temperature in the range from equal to or more than 170° C. to equal to or less than 270° C., at least a portion of the carbohydrate source in the presence of the hydrogen, the solvent, the first heterogeneous catalyst and the homogeneous catalyst;(iii) removing, from the first reactor, a first reactor product stream and separating from such first reactor product stream at least:one ethylene glycol rich fraction; andone sorbitol-rich fraction containing concentrated homogeneous catalyst;(iv) providing, to a second reactor, hydrogen and at least part of the sorbitol-rich fraction, containing concentrated homogeneous catalyst;(v) reacting, in the second reactor, at a temperature in the range from equal to or more than 200° C. to equal to or less than 300° C., at least a part of the sorbitol-rich fraction, containing concentrated homogeneous catalyst, in the presence of the hydrogen, a second heterogeneous catalyst, which second heterogeneous catalyst contains one or more transition metals from groups 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table of the Elements;(vi) removing, from the second reactor, a second reactor product stream.
