GB675482A - Improvements in and relating to the production of ethylene oxide - Google Patents

Abstract

Ethylene oxide is produced by reacting in the vapour phase and at elevated temperature, ethylene and a gas containing free oxygen in the presence of a catalytic material comprising an intimate mixture of separately prepared silver oxide with from 0.5 to 50 per cent calculated on the weight of silver oxide, of powdered siliceous material having a particle size of less than 100m selected from quartz, a silicate or fused silica. Suitable siliceous materials are quartz, refractory silicate or fused silica materials and silicate glasses, e.g. boro-silicates. Fused sodium aluminium silicate is particularly satisfactory. The catalytic material may be unsupported or supported on fused aluminium silicate or on firebrick or similar material. The reaction may be carried out at a temperature in the range 150-400 DEG C. and at atmospheric pressure or a pressure up to 50 atmospheres. Air may be used as the oxygen containing gas but oxygen mixed with an inert gaseous diluent, for example nitrogen, may be used. Preferably an oxygen-ethylene molar ratio of at least 1.0 should be used. Preferably the catalyst may be dispersed or pasted with an organic liquid such as methanol or acetone. In the examples, ethylene was reacted with a gas containing free oxygen in the presence of catalysts containing silver oxide and various siliceous materials of particle size less than 100m . Specifications 587,584, 627,987, 675,480 and 675,481 are referred to.ALSO:Catalysts for the production of ethylene oxide from ethylene and a gas containing free oxygen comprise as an essential constituent an intimate mixture of separately prepared silve oxide with from 0.5 per cent to 50 per cent calculated on the weight of silver oxide, of powdered siliceous material having a particle size of less than 100m and selected from quartz, a silicate or fused silica. The preferred silicate is sodium aluminium silicate. The catalyst may be unsupported or supported, for example, on fused aluminium silicate or on firebrick Specifications 587,584, 627,987, 675,480 and 675,481 are referred to.