Ionic Liquid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Diethylene Glycol

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is the by-product of the hydration of ethylene oxide. With the rapid development of China's ethylene industry and the increased production of diethylene glycol, taking full advantage of the diethylene glycol resources to develop downstream products and expanding the use of diethylene glycol is becoming more and more important. In this paper, we introduce the applications and manufacturing methods of diethylene glycol, and elaborate the advantages and disadvantages of various methods. Furthermore, we present a new approach to synthesis industrial raw material diethylene glycol by ethylene glycol as raw material and ionic liquids as catalyst.