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Ethyleneamines are a series of homologous polyamines produced from either
ethylene dichloride (EDC) or monoethanolamine (MEA). Eight companies—including
two in the United States, five in Western Europe and one in Japan—maintained
a total capacity for ethyleneamines of 421 thousand metric tons as of mid-2006.
World production of ethyleneamines was estimated at 370 thousand metric tons
in mid-2006. Regions outside of the United States, Western Europe and Japan
have exhibited significant growth. From 2002 to 2005, consumption in Asian
countries outside Japan increased at an average annual rate of about 18% to
an estimated 98 thousand metric tons in 2005. Ethyleneamines demand in this
region is expected to reach 130 thousand metric tons by 2010. Consumption of
ethyleneamines in Eastern Europe increased by about 8.7% annually from 2002
to 2005. Future growth will be dependent on improvement in the Eastern European
economies.
Despite several significant production interruptions and operating problems,
growth for many ethyleneamines, especially EDA, will continue to parallel GDP
rates in most regions. Demand in Japan has matured in recent years, with the
regions of greatest growth having shifted to East and Southeast Asia, owing
particularly to the greater long-term growth potential in these regions as
well as the increasing number of end-user industries that have relocated there
from Japan. Annual growth rates in Japan are expected to remain stagnant for
the forecast period.
In the United States, demand for both EDA and higher ethyleneamines in surfactants
should exceed the average, as should consumption of higher ethyleneamines for
paper wet-strength resins. In Western Europe, consumption of higher ethyleneamines
grew an average of 5–6% per year during 1994–1998, in response
to increased use of DETA for paper wet-strength resins and increased production
of lube oil additives. Consumption growth of higher ethyleneamines in Western
Europe should exceed GDP growth during 2005–2010. Overall, the United
States and Europe are expected to experience moderate growth, while Japan is
expected to remain stagnant. Expected growth for the higher homologues has
prompted producers to modify processes for better control and flexibility of
product distribution. Industry sources also see a very limited growth opportunity
for Central and South America because of unfavorable and unstable economic
conditions.
Production of chelating agents, ethylene bis(stearamide) and polyamide resins
(in the United States); tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED) and fungicides (in
Western Europe only); and polyether polyols and chelating agents (in Japan),
dominate the list of applications for the simplest homologue, ethylenediamine
(EDA). Lube oil additives, paper wet-strength resins and epoxy curing agents
are the largest markets for the higher ethyleneamines. Diethylenetriamine (DETA),
triethylenetetraamine (TETA), tetraethylene-pentamine (TEPA) and aminoethylpiperazine
(AEP), along with Dow’s HPA-X and Huntsman’s E-100 act as epoxy
hardeners and curing agents.
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