Ethanolamine (MEA, DEA, TEA)

[Raw Material] - Ethylene oxide, ammonia
[Finished Product] - Solvents, neutral soaps, emulsifiers, surface acting agents, synthetic detergents, gas absorbents, metal corrosion inhibitors, solvents for various agricultural chemicals, medicine, cosmetics

When differentiating ethanolamine from di-ethanolamine and tri-ethanolamine, we use the word mono-ethanolamine.
Mono-ethanolamine is made from the chemical reaction between ethylene oxide and ammonia. As the reaction progresses, di-ethanolamine and tri-ethanolamine is created.

All three liquids are toxic, flammable, corrosive and has some ammonia odor.
When absorbed with water it becomes a tenacious liquid. It has the qualities of both amines and alcohols.

Mono-ethanolamine are used in absorbents that absorb carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen dioxide. It is also a solvent for abstracting phenol and the base ingredient for neutral soap, emulsifiers, and surface activating agents.

Di-ethanolamine and tri-ethanolamine are used in the making of detergents, gas absorbents, metal corrosion inhibitors, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Absorbents
Low temperature mono-ethanolamine water solution is a polar material and very stable so it is used to remove and clean acidic gas from mixed gas. Acid components are neutralized and then ionized which makes it possible for them to be soluble in water solutions.
When you use an alkaline aqueous solution like a mono-ethanolamine water solution, it can be neutralized and H2S can be remain inside the water solution as a hydrogen sulfide ion and carbon dioxide can remain as a hydrogen carbonate ion.

A scrubber system (gas cleaning system) creates an environment where mono-ethanolamine water solution and mixed gas make contact in a large surface area and selectively removes acid components like hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.

Surface acting agent
Surface acting agents help blend material that have different surface tensions and will not otherwise blend.
Ethanolamine is one of the base materials of these surface acting agents, a base ingredient of soap.

It is also used as a metal corrosion inhibitor, in pesticides, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.