Heterogeneous hydrolysis of ethylene carbonate to ethylene glycol catalyzed by γ-Al ₂O ₃

A spherical γ-Al ₂O ₃ catalyst was employed for the heterogeneous synthesis of ethylene glycol (EG) through ethylene carbonate (EC) hydrolysis in a fixed-bed reactor. The effects of reaction temperature, LHSV, mole ratio of H ₂O to EC and reaction pressure on the hydrolysis were investigated. The conversion of EC and the selectivity to EG can reach 98.4% and 100% respectively under the optimal conditions of reaction temperature 170-180°C, LHSV 0.8-1.5 h ^-1, mole ratio of H ₂O to EC 1.7-3.0 and reaction pressure 1.0~1.8 MPa. In addition, the catalytic activity and pore structure of the catalyst can be maintained well during a run for 500 hours.