Process for manufacturing ethyleneamine compounds

Process for manufacturing ethyleneamine compounds selected from the group of ethyleneamines and hydroxyethylethyleneamines, wherein the process comprises two reaction sequences,

• the first reaction sequence comprising the steps of:
• in an adduction step, providing a CO2 adduct of a starting compound comprising a —NH—CH2-CH2-NH— moiety or a —NH—CH2-CH2-OH moiety, or HO—CH2-CH2-OH,
• in a chain-extension step, reacting a hydroxy-functional compound selected from ethanolamines and dihydroxyethane with an ethyleneamine compound, wherein at least part of a total of hydroxy-functional compounds and the ethyleneamine compound is provided in the form of a CO2 adduct, to form a CO2 adduct of a chain-extended ethyleneamine compound,
• in an elimination step, converting the CO2 adduct of the chain-extended ethyleneamine compound to the corresponding product ethyleneamine compound by removal of the carbonyl group, and
• the second reaction sequence comprising the steps of:
• in an amination step, reacting monoethanolamine with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen and an amination catalyst to form a reaction mixture comprising ethylenediamine,
• in a separation step, separating the reaction mixture derived from the amination step into at least two fractions,
• wherein the first reaction sequence and the second reaction sequence are connected in that at least one of the following takes place:
• an effluent from a step in the first reaction sequence is provided as a starting material to a step in the second reaction sequence,
• an effluent from a step in the second reaction sequence is provided as a starting material to a step in the first reaction sequence,
• a step of the first reaction sequence and a step of the second reaction sequence are combined, or
• an effluent from a step in the first reaction sequence is combined with an effluent from a step in the second reaction sequence.