Single-stage oxychlorination of ethanol to ethylene dichloride using a dual-catalyst bed Original Research Article

The direct production of ethylene dichloride, EDC, from ethanol over a dual-catalyst bed consisting of a zeolite pre-bed and a CuCl2–NaCl/γ-Al2O3 oxychlorination catalyst has been shown to give greater than 80% yield of EDC with ethyl chloride as the main by-product. The effects of temperature, HCl/air ratio and space velocity were investigated. The most effective zeolite was ZSM-5. It is concluded that the main route to EDC was via ethyl chloride and its oxychlorination and disproportionation.