A process for the preparation of ethylene glycol comprising the steps of: a) supplying a first gas composition comprising ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide to an ethylene oxide absorber and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards through an absorption section; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards through the absorption section; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent on the trays in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts to produce a fat absorbent stream comprising ethylene glycol and ethylene carbonate; d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorber; and e) withdrawing a second gas composition from the top of the absorber.

An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

The present invention provides a dynamic interface system between an extraction device and a chromatographic purification device for separating and purifying substance(s) from a mixture or matrix. One embodiment is the Supercritical Fluid Interface (“SFI”) between Supercritical Fluid Extraction (“SFE”), and Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (“SFC”). The SFI is capable of interfacing; gas, subcritical and supercritical fluid extraction methods and pair with gas, subcritical and supercritical fluid chromatography technologies that operate within the pressure and temperature parameters of the SFI. The SFI can operate up to 200 degrees celsius and 5000 psi. This interface technology allows for an inline oil extraction and chromatographic separation, the SFI can pair extraction and chromatography with the same solvent in different mobile phases, whereas the extraction can be performed using CO.sub.2 as a solvent in sub-critical phase and the SFI can receive the subcritical solution and then increase pressure and/or temperature to achieve supercritical state as required for injection into supercritical fluid chromatography technologies. The SFI coupling between SFE and SFC can to extract and refine cannabinoids from the cannabis industrious, hemp, plant and can also be applied to improve efficiency in an industry that extracts and refines oils, through chromatography, from organic materials using a gas, or sub/supercritical fluid as a solvent and mobile phase.

The present invention provides a dynamic interface system between an extraction device and a chromatographic purification device for separating and purifying substance(s) from a mixture or matrix. One embodiment is the Supercritical Fluid Interface (“SFI”) between Supercritical Fluid Extraction (“SFE”), and Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (“SFC”). The SFI is capable of interfacing; gas, subcritical and supercritical fluid extraction methods and pair with gas, subcritical and supercritical fluid chromatography technologies that operate within the pressure and temperature parameters of the SFI. The SFI can operate up to 200 degrees celsius and 5000 psi. This interface technology allows for an inline oil extraction and chromatographic separation, the SFI can pair extraction and chromatography with the same solvent in different mobile phases, whereas the extraction can be performed using CO.sub.2 as a solvent in sub-critical phase and the SFI can receive the subcritical solution and then increase pressure and/or temperature to achieve supercritical state as required for injection into supercritical fluid chromatography technologies. The SFI coupling between SFE and SFC can to extract and refine cannabinoids from the cannabis industrious, hemp, plant and can also be applied to improve efficiency in an industry that extracts and refines oils, through chromatography, from organic materials using a gas, or sub/supercritical fluid as a solvent and mobile phase.

A process for synthesising methanol is described comprising the steps of (i) passing a feed gas comprising a make-up gas containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a methanol synthesis loop, (ii) recovering a product gas mixture containing methanol from the methanol synthesis loop, (iii) cooling the product gas mixture to below the dew point to condense crude methanol, (iv) separating the crude methanol from an unreacted gas mixture, (v) passing a portion of the unreacted gas mixture to the methanol synthesis loop and (vi) recovering a portion of the unreacted gas mixture as a purge gas stream, characterised by contacting the crude methanol and a portion of the purge gas in a stripping unit to strip dissolved gases from the crude methanol thereby forming a stripped crude methanol and an enriched gas mixture, and feeding at least a portion of the enriched gas mixture to the methanol synthesis loop.

A process for synthesising methanol is described comprising the steps of (i) passing a feed gas comprising a make-up gas containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a methanol synthesis loop, (ii) recovering a product gas mixture containing methanol from the methanol synthesis loop, (iii) cooling the product gas mixture to below the dew point to condense crude methanol, (iv) separating the crude methanol from an unreacted gas mixture, (v) passing a portion of the unreacted gas mixture to the methanol synthesis loop and (vi) recovering a portion of the unreacted gas mixture as a purge gas stream, characterised by contacting the crude methanol and a portion of the purge gas in a stripping unit to strip dissolved gases from the crude methanol thereby forming a stripped crude methanol and an enriched gas mixture, and feeding at least a portion of the enriched gas mixture to the methanol synthesis loop.

The present invention provides to a process for recovery of an organic compound (i.e. Ethanol, propanol, butanol, Acetone, iso-propyl alcohol) from a fermented broth which is produced from different fermentation technologies. The present invention particularly relates to an integrated process for ethanol separation from the fermentation broth using integrated vapor compressing unit (turbofans), evaporator (falling film) and a broth stripper column (vacuum distillation system). The process is operated under low temperature for the separation and recovery of the organic compound (particularly ethanol) from the fermented broth containing live microbes typically below or at 50° C. to ensure the activity of the microbes in the broth recycle. Again, the activity of the microbes is further ensured by maintaining the residence time of the microbe containing broth outside the Fermentor is less than or equal to 10 minutes.