Ethylene Glycol

Abstract The article contains sections titled: 1 Introduction 1.1 History 2 Physical Properties 3 Chemical Properties 3.1 Oxidation 3.2 1,3‐Dioxolane Formation 3.3 Ether Formation 3.4 Ester Formation 3.5 Ethoxylation 3.6 Decomposition with Alkali Hydroxide 4 Production Technologies 4.1 EO Hydrolysis 4.1.1 Direct Hydrolysis 4.1.2 Catalytic Hydrolysis to EG 4.1.3 Current Developments to EO Hydrolysis Methods 4.2 Production via Synthesis Gas 4.2.1 Oxidative Carbonylation to Dimethyl Oxalate 4.2.2 Hydroformylation of Formaldehyde 4.3 Sustainable Routes to Glycols 4.3.1 Ethanol Dehydration and Co‐feeding 4.3.2 Developing Routes from Biomass 4.3.3 Developing Routes from CO 2 4.3.4 Product Recycling 5 Derivatives 5.1 Di‐, Tri‐, Tetra‐, and Polyethylene Glycols 6 Uses 6.1 Glycols 6.1.1 Glycol Ethers 6.2 Glycol Esters 7 Quality Specifications and Analysis 8 Safety and Environmental Considerations 8.1 Process Safety 8.1.1 Autoignition of Pure Glycols 8.1.2 Incidents Related to Fires by Finely Dispersed Hot Glycol 8.1.3 Thermal Decomposition of Pure Glycol and Salts 9 Storage and Transportation 10 Trade Names and Synonyms 11 Economic Aspects 12 Toxicology and Occupational Health References