PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL DIRECTLY FROM ETHANE

ETHYLENE GLYCOL IS AN IMPORTANT COMMODITY CHEMICAL WITH A WORLD MARKET VALUED AT OVER $3 BILLION PER YEAR. ETHYLENE GLYCOL IS CURRENTLY SYNTHESIZED BY THE EPOXIDATION OF ETHYLENE TO ETHYLENE OXIDE FOLLOWED BY HYDRATION. FOR A PROCESS OF SUCH LARGE SCALE, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT INCENTIVES TO DEVELOPING A MORE ECONOMICAL SYNTHESIS BASED ON CHEAPER RAW MATERIALS AND A LESS CAPITAL INTENSIVE PROCESS. IN THIS PHASE I PROPOSAL WE PROPOSE A ROUTE FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL BASED ON ETHANE. THIS WORK ELABORATES ON ACTIVE RESEARCH AT CATALYTICA AIMED AT THE DISCOVERY OF NOVEL SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW THE CONVERSION OF METHANE TO METHANOL WITH HIGH SELECTIVITY VIA STABLE INTERMEDIATES. BY ANALOGY WITH THIS WORK, ETHANE SHOULD LEAD, VIA TWO CONSECUTIVE SELECTIVE OXIDATIONS OF EACH METHYL GROUP, TO THE FORMATION OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL. THE PHASE I RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE TO STUDY THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE REGIOSPECIFICITY IN THE CONSECUTIVE OXIDATION REACTIONS FROM ETHANE TO ETHYLENE GLYCOL.