Patent ID: 7825285

Claim:
A process for the separation of a homogeneous catalyst solution from crude monoethylene glycol and for purifying the crude monoethylene glycol, for use in a process for the catalytic conversion of ethylene oxide to monoethylene glycol, which process comprises: separating the catalyst solution in a catalyst separation section by evaporating crude monoethylene glycol; and purifying the crude monoethylene glycol by feeding the crude monoethylene glycol to a rectification section, a stripping section, and thence to a pasteurisation section, wherein each section is operated at subatmospheric pressure of 0.5×10 5 Nm −2 or less, the rectification and pasteurisation sections being at pressure less than that of the catalyst separation section; the process provides a pressure differential between the catalyst separation and rectification sections; and the vapour phase crude monoethylene glycol from the catalyst separation section is fed as substantially vapour phase feed to the rectification section.