A method for improving the manufacture of an existing ethylene glycol manufacturing process comprising: (a) supplying a pipe reactor feedstream comprising ethylene oxide and water to a non-catalytic glycol reactor; (b) reacting the ethylene oxide and water in the non-catalytic glycol reactor to produce a product stream; (c) modifying the supply of the pipe reactor stream as follows: providing a catalytic hydration feedstream containing ethylene oxide and water; combining the catalytic hydration feedstream with a recirculation split stream to form a first reactor inlet stream; supplying the first reactor inlet stream to an inlet of a first adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the first adiabatic reactor being at a first inlet temperature; reacting the ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a first ion exchange resin catalyst in the first adiabatic reactor to thereby produce an effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; further combining the effluent stream with a recirculation supply stream to form a combined stream containing water, ethylene glycol and unreacted ethylene oxide; supplying the combined stream to an inlet of a second adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the second adiabatic reactor being at a second inlet temperature; reacting ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a second ion exchange resin catalyst in the second adiabatic reactor to thereby produce a second reactor effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; compressing the second reactor effluent stream; dividing the second reactor effluent stream into a recirculation stream and a forward stream; dividing the recirculation stream into the split recirculation stream and the supply recirculation stream; supplying the forward stream as the pipe reactor feedstream to a non-catalytic pipe reactor to produce a product stream wherein the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the product stream is greater than the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the forward stream. (a) supplying a pipe reactor feedstream comprising ethylene oxide and water to a non-catalytic glycol reactor; (b) reacting the ethylene oxide and water in the non-catalytic glycol reactor to produce a product stream; (c) modifying the supply of the pipe reactor stream as follows: providing a catalytic hydration feedstream containing ethylene oxide and water; combining the catalytic hydration feedstream with a recirculation split stream to form a first reactor inlet stream; supplying the first reactor inlet stream to an inlet of a first adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the first adiabatic reactor being at a first inlet temperature; reacting the ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a first ion exchange resin catalyst in the first adiabatic reactor to thereby produce an effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; further combining the effluent stream with a recirculation supply stream to form a combined stream containing water, ethylene glycol and unreacted ethylene oxide; supplying the combined stream to an inlet of a second adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the second adiabatic reactor being at a second inlet temperature; reacting ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a second ion exchange resin catalyst in the second adiabatic reactor to thereby produce a second reactor effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; compressing the second reactor effluent stream; dividing the second reactor effluent stream into a recirculation stream and a forward stream; dividing the recirculation stream into the split recirculation stream and the supply recirculation stream; supplying the forward stream as the pipe reactor feedstream to a non-catalytic pipe reactor to produce a product stream wherein the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the product stream is greater than the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the forward stream. combining the catalytic hydration feedstream with a recirculation split stream to form a first reactor inlet stream; supplying the first reactor inlet stream to an inlet of a first adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the first adiabatic reactor being at a first inlet temperature; reacting the ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a first ion exchange resin catalyst in the first adiabatic reactor to thereby produce an effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; further combining the effluent stream with a recirculation supply stream to form a combined stream containing water, ethylene glycol and unreacted ethylene oxide; supplying the combined stream to an inlet of a second adiabatic reactor, the inlet of the second adiabatic reactor being at a second inlet temperature; reacting ethylene oxide and water in the presence of a second ion exchange resin catalyst in the second adiabatic reactor to thereby produce a second reactor effluent stream containing water, ethylene glycol, and unreacted ethylene oxide; compressing the second reactor effluent stream; dividing the second reactor effluent stream into a recirculation stream and a forward stream; dividing the recirculation stream into the split recirculation stream and the supply recirculation stream; supplying the forward stream as the pipe reactor feedstream to a non-catalytic pipe reactor to produce a product stream wherein the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the product stream is greater than the total concentration of DEG, TEG and higher glycols in the forward stream.