PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF GLYCOLS

A process for the production of glycols the steps of: providing a feedstock comprising starch; subjecting said feedstock to a hydrolysis reaction in the presence of water to provide a liquid hydrolysis product comprising water and glucose and dimers, trimers and oligomers thereof; subjecting said liquid hydrolysis product to a series of purification steps, comprising one or more filtration steps and one or more adsorption steps, to produce a pre-treated feedstock stream; and contacting the pre-treated feedstock stream with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst composition comprising at least two active catalytic components, said active catalyst components comprising, as a first active catalyst component, one or more materials selected from transition metals from groups 8, 9 or 10 or compounds thereof, with catalytic hydrogenation capabilities; and, as a second active catalyst component, one or more materials selected from tungsten, molybdenum, lanthanum, tin or compounds or complexes thereof.