Patent ID: 11932615

Abstract:
Ethylene oxide purification by quenching and washing ethylene oxide reactor effluent prior to passing the gaseous ethylene oxide-containing stream to an ethylene oxide absorber to form a dilute aqueous ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide solution and thereafter stripping that solution in an EO stripper to produce a gaseous ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide-containing overhead vapor which is then passed to a reabsorber wherein the ethylene oxide and part of the carbon dioxide vapors are absorbed to form an aqueous reabsorbate solution from which carbon dioxide is removed to produce an ethylene oxide-containing solution is improved by passing an impurities-containing liquid bleed stream obtained from the quench wash to a second, small quench bleed stripper where steam and carbon dioxide are added and gaseous overhead from that quench bleed stripper is passed to the reabsorber for recovery of the EO and removal of formaldehyde and other impurities.