The synthesis of ethyl nitrite by the reaction of C2H5OH, O-2, and NO, called the regeneration reaction in the synthesis of ethylene glycol (EG) by the coupling reaction-hydrogenation process, is carried out in a trickle bed reactor filled with theta-mesh rings at 313-343 K and atmospheric pressure. It is shown that the conversion of O-2 increases with the NO/O-2 and the EtOH/NO molar ratios, and decreases with the N-2 volume fraction and the liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV). O-2 conversion reaches a maximum (similar to 90.9%) at 333K, NO/O-2 molar ratio of 6:1, EtOH/NO molar ratio of 3:1, N-2 volume fraction of 50%, and LHSV of 2.65 h(-1). The synthesis reaction is a fast one and takes place in a liquid film. A kinetics model based on the two-film model of gas-liquid reaction is proposed. The experiment data fit the kinetics model very well and statistical tests also show their reliability. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.