Process and system for the production of ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol

Process for the production of ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol comprising:

• a) supplying an overhead absorber stream (10) withdrawn from an absorber (6) to a vapor-liquid separator (12) to yield an aqueous bottoms stream (15) and a recycle gas stream (13);
• b) supplying an aqueous process stream (17) comprising one or more impurities to a distillation apparatus (19) to yield an overhead impurities stream (22) and a purified aqueous process stream (21), wherein the aqueous process stream (17) supplied to the distillation apparatus (19) comprises at least a portion of the aqueous bottoms stream (15) withdrawn from the vapor-liquid separator (12), wherein the overhead impurities stream (22) is supplied to a condenser (45) and is cooled to a temperature in the range of from 5 to 95° C., wherein the cooled overhead impurities stream (22) is split into a reflux stream (22a) which is recycled to the distillation apparatus (19) and an overhead impurities stream (22b);
• c) supplying at least a portion of the purified aqueous process stream (21) and an ethylene oxide product stream (4) to the absorber;
• and
• d) contacting the ethylene oxide product stream (4) with the purified aqueous process stream (21) in the absorber in the presence of one or more carboxylation and hydrolysis catalysts to yield a fat absorbent stream (8) comprising ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol.