Environmental protection becomes more stringent and MDEA demand continues to be released

MDEA, also known as methyldiethanolamine, is usually called N-methyldiethanolamine. Its molecular formula is C5H13NO2 and its CAS number is 105-59-9. MDEA is a colorless or slightly yellow viscous liquid with a boiling point of 246~248°C, a flash point of 260°C, a freezing point of -21°C, a relative density of 1.0377 (20, 4°C), a refractive index of 1.4678, and is miscible with water and alcohol. Soluble, slightly soluble in ether.

MDEA has the advantages of high selectivity, low solvent consumption, significant energy saving effect, and is not easy to degrade. It can be widely used as desulfurization purification emulsifier and acid gas absorbent for oil field gas and coal gas, acid-base control agent, and polyurethane foam catalyst. In addition, MDEA can also be used as pesticides, emulsifiers, semi-finished products for fabric auxiliaries, intermediates for the anti-tumor drug nitrogen mustard hydrochloride, catalysts for urethane coatings, fiber auxiliaries, etc.

There are four main existing production routes of MDEA, namely catalytic hydrogenation of formaldehyde and cyanoethanol, reaction of formaldehyde and diethanolamine, catalytic hydrogenation of formaldehyde and diethanolamine, and reaction of monomethylamine and ethylene oxide. Among the above four synthesis methods, the reaction method of monomethylamine and ethylene oxide is the most commonly used.

China’s MDEA industry has a short development time and a small number of manufacturing companies. A few companies such as Maoming Yunlong Industrial Development Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Taihu New Materials Holdings Co., Ltd., Yixing Zhonghao Chemical Co., Ltd., and Changzhou Yuping Chemical Co., Ltd. occupy the market. most of the market share. Compared with foreign products, domestic MDEA products have fewer types and still have deficiencies in certain quality indicators, mainly in terms of solution degradation analysis and process conditions, and the product maturity is relatively low.

Industry analysts said that MDEA products are used in refinery dry gas, liquefied gas, oil field gas desulfurization, fertilizer plants, and synthetic ammonia plants for carbon dioxide. It has good application performance in terms of removal and can effectively reduce sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions in these industries. In the future, as environmental protection policies become increasingly strict, the demand for MDEA will continue to expand. According to the “2022-2026 MDEA Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” shows that China’s MDEA demand is expected to reach about 150,000 tons in 2025.