Process for the production of alkylene glycols using homogeneous catalysts

A process for manufacturing alkylene glycol, wherein the process comprises the steps of:

• introducing a reaction mixture into a reaction zone operated under suitable reaction conditions to thereby form a reaction product, wherein the reaction mixture comprises alkylene oxide, water and a soluble catalyst consisting essentially of a bicarbonate salt wherein the soluble catalyst has a solubility in monoethylene glycol exceeding about 5 weight percent at 25° C. and are sufficiently soluble in the product and the feed and any byproducts that said salts may be recycled without precipitating out of the recycle stream, and wherein the reaction product comprises alkylene glycol, water, the soluble catalyst and a reaction by-product;
• withdrawing the reaction product as a withdrawn reaction product from the reaction zone;
• introducing the withdrawn reaction product into a distillation system for separating the withdrawn reaction product into a product stream and a first recycle stream, wherein the product stream comprises alkylene glycol, and wherein the first recycle stream comprises the soluble catalyst, decomposed soluble catalyst, and the reaction by-product wherein the catalyst does not precipitate out of said first recycle stream;
• contacting the first recycle stream with a gas comprising carbon dioxide under suitable conversion conditions to convert at least a portion of the decomposed soluble catalyst in the first recycle stream to the soluble catalyst;
• and
• subsequently adding the first recycle stream to the reaction mixture.