A process for the preparation of ethylene carbonate and ethylene glycol comprising supplying an ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream to a condenser to produce a cooled recycle gas stream and one or more aqueous streams, heating at least a portion of said cooled recycle gas stream to provide a heated recycle gas stream, contacting said heated recycle gas stream with one or more guard bed materials in one or more guard bed systems positioned upstream of an ethylene oxide reactor to provide a treated recycle gas stream, contacting an epoxidation feed gas comprising ethylene, oxygen and at least a portion of said treated recycle gas stream with an epoxidation catalyst in ethylene oxide reactor to yield an epoxidation reaction product stream, contacting the epoxidation reaction product stream in an ethylene oxide absorber with a lean absorbent stream in the presence of a carboxylation and hydrolysis catalyst to yield a fat absorbent stream comprising ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol and an ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream, wherein cooled recycle gas stream is heated by heat exchange with a hot process stream selected from (i) the ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream, in a condenser; (ii) steam produced in an ethylene glycol purification column overhead condenser, in a first heat exchanger located downstream of condenser; (iii) steam produced by flashing one or more condensate streams collected in the process, in a second heat exchanger located downstream of condenser, or a combination thereof. supplying an ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream to a condenser to produce a cooled recycle gas stream and one or more aqueous streams, heating at least a portion of said cooled recycle gas stream to provide a heated recycle gas stream, contacting said heated recycle gas stream with one or more guard bed materials in one or more guard bed systems positioned upstream of an ethylene oxide reactor to provide a treated recycle gas stream, contacting an epoxidation feed gas comprising ethylene, oxygen and at least a portion of said treated recycle gas stream with an epoxidation catalyst in ethylene oxide reactor to yield an epoxidation reaction product stream, contacting the epoxidation reaction product stream in an ethylene oxide absorber with a lean absorbent stream in the presence of a carboxylation and hydrolysis catalyst to yield a fat absorbent stream comprising ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol and an ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream, wherein cooled recycle gas stream is heated by heat exchange with a hot process stream selected from (i) the ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream, in a condenser; (ii) steam produced in an ethylene glycol purification column overhead condenser, in a first heat exchanger located downstream of condenser; (iii) steam produced by flashing one or more condensate streams collected in the process, in a second heat exchanger located downstream of condenser, or a combination thereof. (i) the ethylene oxide absorber overhead stream, in a condenser; (ii) steam produced in an ethylene glycol purification column overhead condenser, in a first heat exchanger located downstream of condenser; (iii) steam produced by flashing one or more condensate streams collected in the process, in a second heat exchanger located downstream of condenser,