A safe production process of alkylene oxides from alkylene carbonates

Abstract Alkylene oxides of low molecular weight, ethylene, and propylene oxides, have a widespread use in industry. They are used to produce other chemicals and products such as solvents, surfactants, antifreeze, adhesives, polyurethane foams, and pharmaceuticals. They are also used as fumigants in agricultural products, and as a sterilant for medical equipment and supplies. Unfortunately, it is worth noting that alkylene oxides also possess several physical and health hazards: They are flammable, explosive, and their storage and transportation warrant stringent safety rules. The obvious solution to reduce the risk is to generate them from intermediate safety materials and only when and where they are necessary. The literature suggests that correspondent carbonates are very stable precursors. The scope of our study is that of identifying the optimal conditions to generate ethylene and propylene oxide in the moment just before their reaction and eventual use. The patent deals with some equipment and process conditions that guarantee the fast and reliable dissociation of carbonates in their correspondent oxides. The natural output of the patent is a unit able to produce the dangerous material in situ, under controlled conditions. As a result, all the risks related to transportation and storage are eliminated.