Method for manufacture of ethyleneamines

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for the manufacture of ethyleneamine from a mixture comprising water (H2O), ethylenediamine (EDA) and N-methylethylendiamine (NMEDA), comprising the steps of: (i) providing a feed stream comprising EDA, NMEDA, water and an additional adjuvant, (ii) separating water from NMEDA and EDA comprised in the feed stream in one or more distillation columns, wherein water is separated from EDA and NMEDA as the low boiling fraction. This invention further relates to the use of ethylene glycol, 1,2 propylene glycol, 1,3 propylene glycol, 1,4 butandiol, 1,2 butanediol, 1,5 pentanediol, 1,6 hexanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, di-1,2.-propylene glycol, tri-1,2-propylene glycol, di-1,3-propylene glycol, tri-1,3-propylene glycol, trimethylolpropane, glycerol, pentaerythritol or mixtures thereof as distillation adjuvants for the distillation of a mixture comprising water, ethylenediamine and N-methylethylendiamine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.