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Abstract

It is disclosed a continuous process for producing a polyols stream comprising ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, wherein a liquid sugar stream comprising water and at least a monomeric sugar is introduced into a first reaction zone and subjected to a first reaction, which is a hydrogenation reaction of the at least a monomeric sugar, at a first catalytic conditions and in the presence of a first hydrogen gas to produce an hydrogenated mixture comprising at least a sugar alcohol. At least a portion of the hydrogenated mixture and at least a portion of the first hydrogen gas are then transferred to a second reaction zone and subjected to a second reaction, which is a hydrogenolysis reaction of the at least a sugar alcohol, at second catalytic conditions to produce a hydrogenolysis mixture comprising at least a polyol. The second reaction occurs in the presence of a second hydrogen gas, wherein the second hydrogen gas comprises the portion of the first hydrogen gas which has been transferred to the second reaction. The first reaction is conducted at a first reaction pressure which is greater than or equal to the second reaction pressure, and the hydrogen gas is then released at the end of the conversion process of the second reaction zone at a discharge pressure which is less than the pressure of the first reaction. In this way, the transferring of at least a portion of the hydrogenated mixture and at least a portion of the first hydrogen gas from the first reaction zone to the second reaction zone may be done without the use of any pumping system, specifically of a pumping system which is capable of pumping a pressurized liquid/gas mixture.

First Claim