Published June 2024
This review examines the technology and economics of producing methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) using ammonia, methanol, and ethylene oxide as the raw materials. The process evaluated by this review is a generic process for the production of alkylamines and their separation, as well as the use of monomethylamine (MMEA) to produce MDEA. The evaluation process entails a series of steps involving a brief process review followed by detailed parametric information about the technology, such as process operation key conditions, process description, material and energy balance, equipment sizes, utility consumption, and a process flowsheet. The process economics are presented in the latter part of the review.
The technology is a two-step process for a production capacity of 185,000 metric tons per year (t/y) [408 million pounds per year (MMlb/y)] of MDEA. In the first step, methanol and ammonia are reacted to form alkylamines. These alkylamines are separated in a series of columns, where dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA) are the byproducts. The second step is the reaction of the purified MMEA with ethylene oxide to produce MDEA. The separation of amines is carried out by an extractive distillation column that uses water as the extractive solvent.
In the end, the economics of MDEA production are presented for a plant manufacturing MDEA using ammonia, methanol, and ethylene oxide as the raw materials. A new greenfield plant to manufacture MDEA appears to be a feasible proposition. The market price of MDEA could be volatile because it is mainly used in the oil and gas industry, which is also a volatile industry, as far as market prices are concerned.
The process flow diagrams, material balance, major equipment list with specifications, cost information for battery limits, variable costs, capital expenditure (capex) and operating expenditure (opex), and total production costs are evaluated in this analysis. The technological and economic assessment of the process is the Process Economics Program (PEP)’s independent interpretation of a potential commercial process. Each of these is based on the information presented in the open literature, such as patents or technical articles, and may not reflect in whole or in part the actual plant configuration. We do believe that these sources are sufficient to represent the process and process economics within the range of accuracy necessary for the economic evaluations of the conceptual process designs.