CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

Ethyleneamines, a series of homologous polyamines, are commercially produced from either the ethylene dichloride (EDC) process or the monoethanolamine (MEA)/reductive amination (RA) process. As of December 2009, six companies—Dow, Huntsman, Akzo Nobel, Tosoh, Delamine and BASF—account for the majority of world ethyleneamines nameplate capacity.

World consumption of ethyleneamines in 2009 represented a modest 1.4% increase over 2008. Sizable growth in demand was observed only in two world regions—North America and China. In 2008, demand in these two regions was negatively affected by decreased availability of ethyleneamines and the beginning effects of the economic slowdown. In the United States, two hurricanes shut down Huntsman plants for a significant period, and Dow was in the midst of converting part of its facilities from EDC as a raw material to MEA. This lack of potential exports, combined with the effect of the Olympic Games held in China in 2008, affected demand there. In all other regions, demand declined or increased only slightly between 2008 and 2009 as a result of the global financial and economic crisis.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of ethyleneamines:

After hitting a low point in 2008, world demand for ethyleneamines is expected to start to recover and increase at an annual rate of about 4.6% through 2014. During the forecast period, consumption is expected to grow fastest in Asia (7.6% annually), led by China and the other Southeast Asian countries. Demand in other emerging markets, such as Central and Eastern Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa, will grow in the range of 4–6%, often from a small base. Mature markets, such as North America and Western Europe, will grow at an annual rate of about 2.5% during the forecast period.

Ethyleneamines are used in a wide range of applications, primarily as reactive intermediates used to produce other useful chemical products. Although there have been some advancements in end-use markets in terms of chemistry and technology, the functionality requirements of ethyleneamine products have changed very little.