Epichlorohydrin EF

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EPICHLOROHYDRIN ECO-FRIENDLY

PROCESS FEATURES
Epichlorohydrin is a C3 organic epoxy compound, which combines the reactivity of an epoxy group (an
oxygen bridge) with the additional reactivity of a chloro-group.
Epichlorohydrin undergoes a great variety of chemical reactions with many types of compounds. It is
the major raw material for epoxy resins, which account for up to 75% of total output.
Thanks to its inherent versatility, it is used in a wide variety of other applications, including ion
exchange resins, textiles, paper sizing, special inks and dyes, surface active agents, elastomers,
plasticizers, agricultural products, liners, pharmaceuticals and many other applications.
CONSER, besides having secured in the past decades a leading position as licensor of the conventional
epichlorohydrin process from propylene and chlorine, has recently developed and patented a new
technology route, called ECH-EF (epichlorohydrin eco-friendly), to produce epichlorohydrin using
glycerin and hydrogen chloride as raw materials.
The new ECH-EF technology shows that, thanks to the lower cost of the raw materials, to the lower
plant investment cost, to the substantial reduction of energy consumption and of the aqueous and
chlorinated by-products, it is the most effective route to produce epichlorohydrin.

REFERENCES
Company

Location

Capacity T/y

Technology

S.I.R

Italy

36000

Conventional

ALCLOR

Brasil

15000

Conventional

TECHCORP

Iraq

10000

Conventional

HYCC

S. Korea

20000

Conventional

TAMILNADU PETR. LTD

India

10000

Conventional

SINOPEC-YUEYANG G.P.W.

China

24000

Conventional

BLUESTAR NEW CHEMICAL MATERIALS

China

30000

Conventional

TANGSHAN RISUN CHEMICAL Co.

China

100000

Eco - Friendly

FLOW SHEET

PROCESS DESCRIPTION
CONSER epichlorohydrin process consists of the following main steps:

Chlorohydrination of glycerin
Dehydrochlorination of dichlorohydrins
Epichlorohydrin purification

Chlohydrination of glycerin

Glycerol dichlorohydrins are produced by reaction of liquid glycerin with gaseous hydrogen chloride at
moderate temperature and pressure and by using an organic acid catalyst.
The reaction occours through a two stages patented process, the first for the production of
monochlorohydrins (MCH) and the second for the production of dichlorohydrins (DCH).
The reactor effluent enters the dichlorohydrin column, which separates under vacuum conditions DCH
on top from MCH, heavy by-products and catalyst at bottom.

Dichlorohydrins hydrolysis

The hydrolysis of dichlorohydrins to epichlorohydrin, using caustic soda as saponifying agent, is

accomplished in a distillation tower where epichlorohydrin is stripped by steam vaporized at the
bottom of the tower.

Waste water is taken off from the bottom of stripper, while an organic phase, consisting od raw
epichlorohydrin, is separated overhead.

Epichlorohydrin purification

The raw epichlorohydrin is rectified in a fractionation column system.

In the purification system high purity epichlorohydrin is separated from water and low and high boiling
impurities.