Process for thr manufacture of diethylenetriamine and aminoethylethanolamine

• Main Authors: BURGESS; LLOYD M, SCHRECK; DAVID J, GIBSON; CHARLES A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.04.1993
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

A continuously generated alkyleneamines producers composition comprising based on 100% of the moles of the compostion and exclusive of any MEA and water present, a) about 15 to about 35 mole % DETA, b) about 15 to about 55 mole % EDA (net generated), c) about 10 to about 35 mole % AEEA, d) about 3 to about 25 mole % of the combination of PIP, AEP and HEP, e) about 3 to about 10 mole % of one or more of TETAs and TEPAs, f) less than about 1 mole % of other polyalkylene polyamines, and g) a DETA to AEEA mole ratio greater than about 0.77 to less than 1.35, and the process of producing the same, which comprises feeding hydrogen, ammonia, MEA and EDA, preferably provided from a recycle stream, to a reaction zone containing a fixed bed of a reductive amination catalyst in a tubular reactor, wherein the hydrogen comprises about 10 to about 50 mole percent of the feed in the reaction zone, the mole ratio of EDA to MEA is less than about 0.25 and the mole ratio of ammonia to MEA is about 1 to about 10, the temperature of the reaction zone is about 120 DEG C. to about 300 DEG C., the pressure of the reaction zone is about 1000 to about 1800 psig, the conversion of MEA is about 20 to about 50 weight percent, and recovering said producers composition from the reaction zone.