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Ethanolamines are a class of organic compounds that include monoethanolamine
(MEA), diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). They are used in surfactants,
gas purification, herbicides and wood preservatives. Commercially, ethanolamines
are created by reacting an appropriate amount of an amine (either ammonia,
MEA or DEA) with ethylene oxide (EO).
The following graph shows consumption of ethanolamines by percentage of regional
total:
Global production of ethanolamines was more than 1.2 million metric tons in
2005.
Over 32% of world ethanolamines consumption was for the production of surfactants.
Herbicides (which may include some ethanolamines consumed for other agricultural
chemicals) accounted for 15% of total consumption in 2005, followed by gas
treatment applications (10%).
In North America, ethanolamines consumption is forecast to grow 3.0–3.5%
annually between 2005 and 2010. Herbicides will drive ethanolamines consumption
in North America, followed by surfactants (to a lesser extent). Western European
consumption is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 4.5% during 2005–2010,
driven by surfactants and pharmaceuticals. Overall, world ethanolamines consumption
is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 5–6% during 2005–2010.
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