Process for the preparation of glycols

Abstract

The invention provides a process for the preparation of ethylene glycol and 1,2-propylene glycol from starting material comprising one or more saccharide, wherein the process comprises the steps of: i) providing the starting material and hydrogen to a first reactor and reacting said starting material and hydrogen therein in the presence of a solvent and a first catalyst system comprising a retro-aldol catalyst composition and a hydrogenation catalyst composition; ii) continuously removing a first reactor product stream from the first reactor, said first reactor product stream comprising ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol and in the range of from 2 to 40 wt % of sugar alcohols; iii) contacting said first reactor product stream in a second reactor in the presence of hydrogen with a second catalyst system comprising at least a hydrogenation catalyst composition; and iv) converting a portion of the sugar alcohols in the second reactor into ethylene glycol and/or 1,2-propylene glycol to provide a second reactor product stream comprising ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol and in the range of from 10 to 80% of the amount of sugar alcohols present in the first reactor product stream.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.