A method for the preparation of 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol comprising: a) reacting propene with hydrogen peroxide containing nitrate in the presence of a catalyst mixture comprising a phase transfer catalyst and a heteropolytungstate in a liquid reaction mixture comprising an aqueous phase with a maximum apparent pH of 6 and an organic phase, wherein the term "apparent pH" here refers to a value determined by measurement with a glass electrode employing a commercial pH meter calibrated with aqueous buffer solutions of known pH for measuring dilute aqueous solutions; b) separating the reaction mixture into an aqueous phase (P a ) comprising 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol and nitrate and an organic phase (P o ); c) recycling at least a part of the separated organic phase (P o ) to the reaction step a); d) hydrogenating the aqueous phase (P a ) separated in step b) using a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst to provide a hydrogenated aqueous phase; and e) recovering 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol from the hydrogenated aqueous phase of step d) by a sequential multiple step distillation, comprising a first water distillation step and optionally further water distillation steps, each providing an overhead product comprising water and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, a subsequent first glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising 1,2-propanediol and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, a subsequent second glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising dipropylene glycol and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, and a subsequent third glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising tripropylene glycol and a residuals bottoms product. a) reacting propene with hydrogen peroxide containing nitrate in the presence of a catalyst mixture comprising a phase transfer catalyst and a heteropolytungstate in a liquid reaction mixture comprising an aqueous phase with a maximum apparent pH of 6 and an organic phase, wherein the term "apparent pH" here refers to a value determined by measurement with a glass electrode employing a commercial pH meter calibrated with aqueous buffer solutions of known pH for measuring dilute aqueous solutions; b) separating the reaction mixture into an aqueous phase (P a ) comprising 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol and nitrate and an organic phase (P o ); c) recycling at least a part of the separated organic phase (P o ) to the reaction step a); d) hydrogenating the aqueous phase (P a ) separated in step b) using a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst to provide a hydrogenated aqueous phase; and e) recovering 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol from the hydrogenated aqueous phase of step d) by a sequential multiple step distillation, comprising a first water distillation step and optionally further water distillation steps, each providing an overhead product comprising water and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, a subsequent first glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising 1,2-propanediol and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, a subsequent second glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising dipropylene glycol and a bottoms product which is passed to the next distillation step, and a subsequent third glycols distillation step providing an overhead product comprising tripropylene glycol and a residuals bottoms product. <EOS>