Process for the preparation of alkylene glycol

1. A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of:

(a) reacting the alkene with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst in a reactor to produce a gas composition comprising alkylene oxide, alkene, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour;

(b) supplying the gas composition from (a) to an alkylene oxide absorber, supplying lean absorbent to the alkylene oxide absorber, contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorber in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote hydrolysis and withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorber;

(c) optionally supplying the fat absorbent to one or more reactor vessels; wherein conversion of alkylene oxide to alkylene glycol occurs in step (b) and optionally in step (c), such that the fat absorbent resulting from step (b) or step (c) comprises alkylene glycol; and further comprising steps of:

(d) contacting the fat absorbent from step (b) or step (c) with a lean solvent, thereby extracting alkylene glycol from the fat absorbent and producing fat solvent; and

(e) recovering alkylene glycol from the fat solvent, thereby producing lean solvent, and recycling the lean solvent to step (d).

2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein contaminants are removed from the gas composition before it is supplied to the alkylene oxide absorber by contacting the gas composition with a cooled recirculating aqueous solution.

3. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the gas composition is contacted with lean absorbent in the alkylene oxide absorber in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation.

4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the gas composition is contacted with lean absorbent in the alkylene oxide absorber in the presence of a metal carbonate.

5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein fat absorbent comprising alkylene glycol that results from step (b) or step (c) is supplied to a flash vessel wherein light ends are removed, before step (d).

6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the lean solvent is an alcohol or a polyol.

7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein after the fat absorbent has been contacted with a lean solvent in step (d), it is recirculated to the alkylene oxide absorber as lean absorbent.

8. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkylene glycol is recovered from the fat solvent by passing the fat solvent to a water removal column and then to a distillation column.

9. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkylene glycol recovered in step (e) is supplied to a dehydrator column and to distillation apparatus.