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Philippe LOLL: Doctorate in engineering from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique in Bordeaux (France) - Technical Manager – ICI C&P France SA
INTRODUCTION
Update of the article by Messrs D. Aftalion and J.-M. Plecety (ICI France) published in 1989.
The term oxyalkylation refers to the addition reaction of one or more alkylene oxide molecules (mainly ethylene oxide or propylene oxide) onto a reactant with labile hydrogen.
These reactions are of considerable industrial importance, as worldwide production capacity for ethylene and propylene oxides exceeds 18 million tonnes per year.
Depending on the molar mass of the finished products, either continuous or discontinuous processes can be used, with one or two oxides being fixed. In the latter case, either block or statistical structures are obtained.
Ethylene oxide leads to hydrophilic, water-soluble products, while propylene oxide leads to hydrophobic, water-insoluble compounds.
This chemistry is therefore extremely versatile, and can be used to optimize specific properties for well-defined applications by adjusting the quantity and distribution of oxides.
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Unit operations. Chemical reaction engineering
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Oxyalkylations
General
References
Standardization
- Produits pétroliers. Calcul de l'indice de viscosité à partir de la viscosité cinématique. - ISO 2909 - 1981
- Agents de surface non ioniques. Dérivés polyoxyalkylènes. Détermination de l'indice d'hydroxyle. Méthode à l'anhydrique phtalique. - ISO 4327 - 1979
- Produits pétroliers. Liquides opaques et transparents. Détermination de la viscosité cinématique et calcul de la viscosité dynamique. - NF EN ISO 3104 -...
Economic data
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Ethylene oxide (EO): production capacity and consumption breakdown
Table 1 shows the percentage of EO consumption in 2000, by application.
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