Method of producing ethylene oxide

• Main Authors: BORESKOV; GEORGY K, DAVYDOV; VALERY A, STEPANOV; JURY N, FROLKINA; IRINA T, DYMENT; OSKAR N, CHESNOKOV; BORIS B, ZAKHAROVA, ADMINISTRATOR; BY IRINA B, UTKINA; NINEL S, STROGANOVA; VERA V, SLINKO; MIKHAIL G, FILIPPOVA, DECEASED; ANNA G, TALAEVA; IRINA G, VASILEVICH; LIDIA A, GELBSHTEIN; ANATOLY I, PROSVIROVA, ADMINISTRATOR; BY OLGA B, AKSENOVA; MARIA S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.12.1978
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

The invention relates to a method of producing ethylene oxide, consisting in that ethylene is oxidized with oxygen or air in a fluidized bed of a silver catalyst containing cadmium carbonate and/or cadmium oxide and also fused alumina having a particle size of between 2 microns and 0.5 mm, the components of the catalyst being taken in the following proportion (wt.%): silver, between 9.5 and 76; cadmium carbonate and/or cadmium oxide, between 0.5 and 4 (in terms of metallic cadmium); fused alumina, between 90 and 20. The oxidation of ethylene takes place at a partial pressure of ethylene between 0.6 and 15 atm, a partial pressure of oxygen between 0.1 and 2 atm, at an aggregate pressure of 2 to 20 atm and a temperature between 200 DEG and 300 DEG C in a reactor with a packing. The fused alumina may be used as a filler or support. In order to improve the selectivity of the process, it is preferable to use a silver catalyst containing, in addition to with the above components, silver chloride in an amount of between 0.03 and 0.3% of the weight of the silver present in the catalyst. The catalyst used in the disclosed process is characterized by high selectivity and stability in operation, providing for high productivity of the process. Said catalyst and the conditions under which the process of ethylene oxidation takes place provide for an efficient and economically-attractive method of producing ethylene oxide on an industrial scale.