Aspen Simulation of a Coal-to-Ethylene Glycol Production Process

Ethylene glycol (EG) is an important chemical raw material with wide-ranging applications, including its use as a solvent, refrigerant, antifreeze, raw material for polyester resins, as well as in the production of pharmaceuticals, coatings, and cosmetics. Coal-to-EG is an important part of extending the coal chemical industry chain, mainly involving reactions such as carbon monoxide coupling to produce dimethyl oxalate and hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to produce EG. In this work, the full process simulation of a coal-to- EG plant with an annual production of 220,000 t/y EG was conducted using Aspen Plus software. It mainly includes units such as the carbon monoxide coupling unit, the intermediate product methyl nitrite regeneration unit, the dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation unit, the product refining unit, and the by-product recovery unit. The simulation results of all the units were obtained based on the accurate simulation procedure, which can provide reference and guidance for the subsequent actual production process of coal-to-EG, and also provide strong support for the optimization of the coal-to-EG process in the future.