Patent ID: 6846959

Claim:
A process for producing an alkanolamine, said process comprising: supplying a reactive distillation apparatus, wherein the reactive distillation apparatus has an inner contacting surface and the inner contacting surface facilitates simultaneously a reaction process and a distillation process; feeding to the reactive distillation apparatus a first reactant, the first reactant comprising an amine represented by R′ 3-X NH X , wherein R′ is a hydrocarbon group, and X is 1, 2, or 3; feeding to the reactive distillation apparatus a second reactant, the second reactant comprising an alkylene oxide represented by R″O, wherein R″ is a C 2 -C 10 -alkylene; feeding to the reactive distillation apparatus a catalyst, wherein the catalyst is provided in an amount from 0% to about 15% by weight of a mixture of the first reactant, the second reactant and the catalyst; recycling an overhead output from an overhead portion of the reactive distillation apparatus, the overhead output comprising an unreacted portion of the amine and the catalyst, wherein the overhead output is returned to the reactive distillation apparatus to achieve a substantially total reflux of the amine and the catalyst; and collecting a product output from a bottom portion of the reactive distillation apparatus, wherein the product output comprises the alkanolamine, the alkanolamine comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of a monoalkanolamine, a dialkanolamine, and a trialkanolamine.