Ethylene oxide (EO) was initially manufactured using ethylene chlorohydrin as an intermediate, but this route has been superseded by the direct oxidation of ethylene with air or oxygen. Now, nearly all the world's EO capacity is based on direct oxidation, with oxygen generally preferred over the air route in larger plants due to higher yields and less downtime.
Ethylene, compressed oxygen and recycle gas are mixed and fed to a multi-tubular catalytic reactor. The mixture is passed over a silver oxide catalyst supported on a porous carrier at 200-300oC and 10-30 bar. The reaction is highly exothermic and the heat removed can be used to generate steam.
The gases from the reactor are first cooled and passed through a scrubber where the ethylene oxide is absorbed as a dilute aqueous solution. The EO can then go straight to glycol manufacture or purified by fractionation for use in other ethylene oxide derivatives.
Ethylene Oxide
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Ethylene Oxide
Uses and Outlook
The largest outlet for ethylene oxide (EO) is ethylene glycol (EG), which accounts for 77% of EO consumption globally. Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is the primary glycol which is used mainly to make polyester followed by automotive antifreeze.
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