How Diethylene Glycol is Made

How is diethylene glycol manufactured?-Detailed analysis of the production process of diethylene glycol

diethylene glycol (DEG) is an important chemical raw material, which is widely used in chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics and daily chemicals. It is mainly synthesized from petrochemical raw materials and has important industrial value. How is diethylene glycol manufactured? This article will give you a detailed analysis of the production process of diethylene glycol.

Basic overview of 1. diethylene glycol

diethylene glycol, with the chemical formula C₂ HCO₂, is a generally colorless, odorless, viscous liquid. Its molecular structure contains two hydroxyl groups (-OH), which makes diethylene glycol has good hydrophilicity and solubility, and is widely used in solvents, antifreeze and cosmetics. Diethylene glycol production methods are varied, the two most common methods are ethylene oxide hydration and alcoholysis.

Hydrochemical production of diethylene glycol by 2. ethylene oxide

ethylene oxide hydration is one of the main ways of industrial production of diethylene glycol. The core of the process is the use of ethylene oxide and water reaction to produce diethylene glycol. Specific steps are as follows:

1. synthesis of ethylene oxide: First, ethylene oxide is obtained by the reaction of ethylene and oxygen under high temperature and high pressure conditions.
2. hydration reaction ethylene oxide reacts with water to produce diethylene glycol. The reaction process is usually carried out under the action of a catalyst to improve the reaction efficiency.
3. separation and purification: After the reaction is completed, the mixture will contain some unreacted ethylene oxide and by-products, which need to be separated and purified by distillation, fractionation and other means to obtain high-purity diethylene glycol.

The advantages of this method are relatively mild reaction conditions, simple production process and easy availability of raw materials.

Production of diethylene glycol by 3. alcoholysis

alcoholysis is another common diethylene glycol production method, mainly through the alcoholysis reaction of ethanol and ethylene glycol to obtain diethylene glycol. This method is usually completed by the following steps:

1. raw material preparation first, you need to prepare ethanol and ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is a direct precursor for the synthesis of diethylene glycol.
2. alcoholysis reaction ethanol and ethylene glycol in the presence of a catalyst alcoholysis reaction, the formation of diethylene glycol.
3. product separation and purification after the completion of the reaction, the target product diethylene glycol was obtained through an isolation and purification step.

The advantages of the alcoholysis method are that its production process is simple and that diethylene glycol can be produced at a relatively low cost. The disadvantage is that the purity of the product is relatively low and further purification is required.

4. of by-products of diethylene glycol and environmental problems

in the production process of diethylene glycol, in addition to the main product diethylene glycol, some by-products may be produced, such as ethylene oxide, unreacted ethanol or ethylene glycol. How to effectively recover these by-products is an important problem to be solved in chemical production. The production process of diethylene glycol may involve the emission of some pollutants, especially in the ethylene oxide hydration method, so environmental protection measures are particularly important. Modern chemical production often reduces pollution in the production process through technological innovation and investment in environmental protection facilities.

5. Summary: Production Process and Development Trend of Diethylene Glycol

through the above analysis, we can see that the production method of diethylene glycol mainly has two kinds of ethylene oxide hydration method and alcoholysis method. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, in the actual industrial application, enterprises will be based on the source of raw materials, cost control and production scale and other factors to choose the appropriate process. With the development of science and technology, the production process of diethylene glycol may be more environmentally friendly and efficient in the future.

The manufacturing process of diethylene glycol is not only an important part of the chemical industry, but also the basis of many daily chemicals and industrial products. With the increase of market demand, the production process of diethylene glycol will continue to be optimized and improved.