乙二醇合成工艺的研究进展

对国内外乙二醇合成的传统工艺:直接水合法、催化水合法和碳酸乙烯酯法进行了介绍;对乙二醇合成的新工艺,包括乙二醇和碳酸二甲酯联产法和C1化学法的工艺流程和发展前景进行了综述,其中,C1化学法主要分为乙烯合成法、合成气合成法和甲醛、甲醇合成法。作为合成气合成法之一的合成气偶联合成法,具有工艺要求不高、反应条件温和等优点,是目前最有希望大规模工业化生产乙二醇的工艺路线。

Technological Development of Ethylene Glycol Production

The traditional technology for manufacturing ethylene glycol at home and abroad was reviewed, including direct hydration and catalytic hydration of ethylene oxide. Development of the technology was also described as following: co-production of dimethyl carbonate and ethylene glycol, and C1 chemistry technology. The latter involved ethylene process, syngas process and indirect synthesis by methanol and formaldehyde. Among these, indirect synthesis by oxalate, one of the syngas processes, gains advantage over the others. The reaction conditions are relatively mild and great prosperity in future will be expected. But based on the fact of currently high crude oil price, and comparison of various synthetic processes, the relevant development in China should be decided according to recent economical and technological conditions.