ONE-STEP METHOD FOR PREPARING ETHYLENE GLYCOL ETHER FROM OXALATE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for preparing ethylene glycol ether, comprising passing an oxalate of formula (I) through a catalyst section comprising a catalyst as follows: A) copper-based catalyst A for hydrogenation of the oxalate, and B) zeolite molecular sieve catalyst B for etherification of ethylene glycol, wherein the catalyst section is in one of the following forms: 1) section A formed by catalyst A, and section B formed by catalyst B and located downstream of section A; 2) a composite catalyst formed by physically mixing catalysts A and B in the form of particles; 3) a composite catalyst formed after catalysts A and B are subjected to powder forming; and/or 4) an integrated catalyst formed from catalysts A and B, where case catalyst B is the carrier of catalyst A, wherein the molar ratio of silicon to aluminum in catalyst B is 20 to 200. The method is carried out in one step, has a simple process and low equipment investment, effectively reduces the production cost of the ethylene glycol ether, and also obtains a high oxalate conversion rate and a high ethylene glycol selectivity. The invention also relates to a catalyst combination used in the method of the invention.