Patent ID: 8183399

Claim:
An integrated process of hydro-oxidation of an olefin to form a hydro-oxidation effluent stream comprising an olefin oxide and of separating the olefin oxide from the hydro-oxidation effluent stream, the process comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a reactant olefin in a gas phase in a hydro-oxidation reactor with oxygen in the presence of hydrogen and in the presence of a hydro-oxidation catalyst under reaction conditions sufficient to obtain a gas phase hydro-oxidation effluent stream comprising an olefin oxide, water, unconverted olefin, oxygen, and hydrogen; (b) feeding the gas phase hydro-oxidation effluent stream into a first distillation column that provides for a liquid reflux of a rectification agent in a top ⅓ section of the column; (c) removing from the first distillation column a first overhead stream comprising unconverted olefin, oxygen, and hydrogen, and a first bottoms stream comprising water and the olefin oxide; and (d) feeding the first bottoms stream comprising water and the olefin oxide into a finishing train to obtain therefrom a stream comprising the olefin oxide product.