Ethylene oxide recovery from ethylene oxidn. - by absorbing in glycol soln. under pressure, then de-gassing

摘要

Ethylene oxide is recovered from reaction prods. obtd. by oxidising ethylene with oxygen using a silver-contg. catalyst, by absorbing the gas at 2-40 kg/cm2 in a soln. contg. 0.1-40%, esp. 1-30% aq. ethylene glycol, 0.5-1000 ppm esp. 2-500 ppm of anti-foamer and having a pH of 3-12, esp. 5-10. Pref. anti-foamers are polysiloxanes of formulae: (CH3)3Si-O Si(CH3)2-O n-Si(CH3)2 or R1O Si(CH3)2-O n-R2, where n is 1-10000 esp. 1-1000 and R1R2 are H, alkyl. The soln. contg. The dissolved ethylene oxide is then passed to a degassing column where the ethylene oxide is recovered and the absorbing soln. is recycled to the absorber. Improved absorption is obtd.