Process for the manufacture of ethylenediamine

Claim 1

A continuous process for the manufacture of ethylenediamine which comprises: (A) providing (1) a continuous homogeneous fluid stream under pressure, which stream comprises ammonia, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and triethanolamine as produced by the direct reaction of ethylene oxide and ammonia in which the number of moles of ammonia substantially exceeds the molar concentration of alcoholic hydroxyl groups present in such steams; (2) a continuous recycle stream consisting essentially of monoethanolamine; (3) an amination zone comprising a solid amination catalyst; and (4) a separation zone for separating monoethanolamine from the amination product stream removed from the amination zone which monoethanolamine forms said recycle stream; (B) feeding said recycle stream under pressure to said fluid stream to form a continuous amination feed stream under pressure; (C) feeding the amination feed stream to the amination zone under sufficient pressure to assure flow through the amination zone but at lower pressure than said homogeneous fluid stream and to form an amination product stream containing ethylenediamine therein; (D) separating monoethanolamine from the amination product stream to form said recycle stream; and (E) continuously recovering ethylenediamine from said amination product stream; wherein said amination feed stream contains at least 70 weight percent monoethanolamine, based on the weight of the ethanolamines therein; the moles of ammonia in the amination feed stream exceeds the molar concentration of alcoholic hydroxyl groups in said amination feed stream; and the amination feed stream contains at least a 5% increase in the concentration of monoethanolamine over that contained in said fluid stream.