Monoethanolamine(CAS:141-43-5) MEA Bulk Industrial Chemical Supplier - Fine Chemical Raw Material for Surfactants, Pharmaceutical Intermediates and Gas Purification

Product Overview

Monoethanolamine — MEA for short — is the simplest member of the ethanolamine family: a primary amine carrying one amino group and one hydroxyl group on a two-carbon backbone. We produce it in Dongying, Shandong, by reacting ethylene oxide with ammonia and distilling the resulting mixture, and it leaves the plant at ≥99.0% purity with diethanolamine and triethanolamine held at low levels. As a fine chemicals supplier and MTBE manufacturer working inside one of China's largest petrochemical bases, we keep this grade in regular production for both first orders and repeat monthly volumes.

That pair of functional groups explains why the molecule turns up in so many different plants. The amino group is basic and reacts with acids to form salts — which is exactly what happens when MEA meets CO₂, H₂S or a fatty acid. The hydroxyl group is hydrophilic, so the molecule is completely miscible with water and carries its reaction products into aqueous solution with it. A gas-treating loop, a shampoo thickener and a metalworking fluid all use the same two handles.

Three groups of buyers drive demand. Refineries, natural gas plants and synthetic ammonia units use aqueous MEA to strip acidic gases out of process streams. Surfactant, emulsifier and corrosion-inhibitor producers use it as a building block. Textile chemical plants, metalworking fluid formulators and pharmaceutical or agrochemical synthesis routes take it as an additive or an intermediate.

MEA shares a site, a warehousing platform and a logistics network with the rest of our range — MTBE chemical, isooctane, mixed xylene, methanol, ethyl acetate and cyclohexanone — so a buyer who needs an amine and an oxygenated solvent can usually plan both onto one schedule instead of opening a second supply chain.

We are an MTBE solvent manufacturer as well as a producer of amines and oxygenates, which is why multi-product requirements tend to stay with one supplier here: one document set, one loading plan and one contact for the whole order.

Specifications

Acid Gas Removal & Amine Regeneration

1. Absorption in the contactor. Lean aqueous MEA is pumped to the top of an absorber and falls counter-current to sour process gas. CO₂ and H₂S transfer into the liquid and react with the amine to form salts, and the treated gas leaves overhead.
2. Regeneration in the stripper. Heating the rich solution reverses that reaction. The acid gases come off as an overhead stream and the lean solution returns to the absorber, so the same amine makes many passes instead of being consumed in one.
3. Where the loop runs. Petroleum refining, natural gas processing and synthetic ammonia are the three classic settings. In each of them the job is the same: take out acidic components that would otherwise corrode downstream equipment or poison catalysts.
4. Why MEA carries the duty. Absorption capacity is high and the reaction is fast, which keeps circulation volumes manageable. MEA is also the most basic compound in the ethanolamine family, so it holds the circulating solution at the high pH that efficient acid gas pickup depends on.
5. Solution strength and corrosion control. MEA is corrosive in its own right, so a unit balances amine concentration and temperature against an inhibitor programme and the corrosion allowance of the steel. If you are charging a new loop or topping up an existing one, confirm the intended strength and materials with our technical team before the first delivery.
6. Make-up quality. Whatever is lost to carry-over, degradation or reclaimer bottoms has to be replaced, and the purity of that make-up stream decides how quickly heat-stable contaminants accumulate. Our ≥99.0% grade keeps diethanolamine and triethanolamine low so top-ups do not add to that load.
7. Match the grade to the service. Bulk CO₂ removal, H₂S sweetening and ammonia-plant duty are run differently, and the specification that suits one is not automatically right for another. Tell us the service and the targets the unit has to hit and we will confirm the grade against them.

Surfactants, Emulsifiers & Chemical Intermediates

• Alkanolamides and nonionic surfactants. Reacted with a fatty acid, MEA forms the alkanolamide family — foam boosters, thickeners and stabilizers used in detergent, shampoo and body-wash systems, and in industrial cleaners that need a stable foam and a controlled viscosity. It is one of the largest single uses of the molecule.
• Emulsifier building blocks. The same amine and hydroxyl pairing lets MEA anchor an emulsifier molecule, so formulators buy it as a raw material for emulsions rather than as a finished additive.
• Corrosion inhibitor chemistry. Inhibitor packages for fuels, functional fluids and water systems are built on amine chemistry, and MEA supplies that amine function in a water-soluble, low-molecular-weight form.
• Pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediates. MEA is a starting point for active-ingredient synthesis; ethambutol, used in tuberculosis treatment, is the standard example of the pharmaceutical route.
• Personal care. Conditioning agents in shampoos and cosmetics are prepared from MEA, where its water solubility keeps the finished formulation easy to build and easy to rinse.
• What this means for a formulator. You are buying a reactive amine rather than a passive solvent, so the reaction stoichiometry, the acid value of your other raw materials and the target pH all set how much you need. Confirm those against the lot COA before scaling a new recipe.

Textile, Metalworking & Cleaner Additives

In textile chemicals, MEA works as a softening component. It is normally part of a finish rather than the whole product, and its water solubility lets it be metered into an aqueous bath and distributed evenly across the fabric before drying. Formulators reach for it where a soft hand is wanted without loading the fabric with a heavy hydrophobic film.

Metalworking fluids use the same alkalinity for a different job. MEA acts as a pH regulator and anti-rust additive: holding an emulsion on the alkaline side slows the acid-driven corrosion that attacks ferrous workpieces and machine surfaces, and it neutralizes the acidic by-products that build up as a fluid ages in service. That combination is why it appears in both water-miscible coolants and the rust-preventive packages added to them.

In cleaning formulations the amine group neutralizes acidic soil and lifts the pH into the range where the surfactant package wets and lifts grease most effectively. Because the molecule is fully water-soluble, it stays in the aqueous phase instead of separating out — a property industrial cleaners depend on — and it rinses away without leaving the film that some alternative alkalinity sources do.

Dosing is formulation-specific: the right level depends on the pH target, the surfactant system and the substrate, so there is no universal percentage to work from. Most formulators run the incoming lot against their existing raw material before releasing a production batch, and that comparison is the first thing checked when qualifying a new chemicals supplier — particularly when an established MTBE manufacturer adds an amine to its slate.

Handling, Safety & Storage

• A corrosive material. MEA is corrosive and irritates the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Treat every transfer as a corrosive-liquid task rather than a general solvent task.
• Personal protection. Chemical splash goggles or a face shield, gloves and an apron; check glove and suit material against the SDS before the first bulk delivery.
• Ventilation. Handle under forced draft ventilation and avoid breathing vapor, mist or aerosol, particularly when the liquid is warm.
• Keep it closed. MEA is hygroscopic and will pull moisture — and with it CO₂ — out of the air. Keep containers sealed, use dry pumps and lines, and do not leave a drum open between transfers.
• Cold-weather handling. The melting point is 10.3 °C, so material in an unheated store or an exposed line can crystallize. Warm the container or trace the line before transfer, and keep the warming gentle — local overheating of an amine is a quality risk as well as a safety one.
• Spills and neutralization. Reaction with acid is strongly exothermic. Contain the spill, dilute with water and neutralize slowly with agitation and cooling, following your site procedure for corrosive amines.
• Segregation. Store away from acids and oxidizing materials in a cool, dry, ventilated area, labelled to local rules.
• Site discipline. MEA is stored, labelled and loaded under the same written SOPs we apply as an MTBE manufacturer to every hazardous liquid we handle.
• Loading practice. Container filling follows closed-transfer procedures and the same handling rules we apply to MTBE solvent and other volatile stocks on site.

Quality Assurance, Ordering & Delivery

1. Who you are buying from. We are an MTBE solvent manufacturer and an integrated fine chemicals enterprise covering R&D, production, sales, storage and logistics, with proprietary production lines, a self-built smart warehousing and logistics platform, and long-term supply of monoethanolamine.
2. Quality system and lot release. Production runs under a documented EPR quality management system with control across the whole process, so raw materials and finished product stay within specification, and loading and transport follow written SOPs. A COA accompanies every lot.
3. Sample before you commit. Testing samples can be arranged — tell your sales contact the grade you need, the quantity required for the test and what you intend to measure, and they will confirm availability and the dispatch arrangements.
4. Verify independently. Historical SGS test reports can be shared, and an SGS on-site inspection before loading can be arranged where your own QA procedure requires a third-party check before a new chemicals supplier is approved.
5. Quantity and consolidation. The standard minimum order is one 20-foot container per product, which keeps freight and handling costs sensible; confirm the minimum for the grade and pack you need. If MEA is one line of a wider order, the other products can be planned onto the same shipment.
6. Packaging. Packaging is fixed per order against volume and destination. Tell your sales contact the volume you are working with and they will confirm which formats are available for that shipment.
7. Payment. T/T and L/C are the standard terms; other arrangements can be discussed against the specific order.
8. Price. Pricing is quoted per order. Volume-based discounts are negotiated against quantity, and annual or recurring volumes are the usual basis for the most favourable terms.
9. Delivery. Shipment is generally arranged within 14 working days of receiving the deposit or the original letter of credit, through professional chemical logistics channels. Confirm the schedule for your destination when the order is placed.

Shandong Wintex Chemical Co., Ltd.: A Trusted Fine Chemicals Partner

• Based in Dongying, Shandong, within one of China's leading petrochemical bases, Shandong Wintex Chemical Co., Ltd. concentrates on the research, development, production and sale of high-value-added fine chemicals.
• Manufacturing runs through park-based facilities that bring together modern plants, automated control systems and integrated utilities, allowing efficient full-process production on site.
• As a key fine chemical supplier in the Bohai Rim, the company holds substantial capacity to provide stable, premium products together with integrated supply chain solutions.
• The relationship goes beyond product supply: the team works alongside clients to resolve challenges in sourcing, application and technical support.
• Guided by a "two ends abroad" trade strategy, Wintex steadily grows its international trade and builds lasting global partnerships.
• The commitment to "Safety, Innovation, Win-Win" is carried through continued investment in research and development, so that products and processes keep pace with what customers need.

Scale & Supply Capability

Shandong Yingtai Chemical Co., Ltd. operates from Dongying, Shandong, in the heart of China's petrochemical industry and home to the Shengli Oilfield. Our 60,000㎡ park-based facility runs modern plants with automated control systems and integrated utilities, and a team of over 200 people covers R&D, production and sales of high-value-added fine chemicals. We supply seven core chemical categories, backed by stable quality and consistent availability, and work alongside buyers on sourcing, product application and technical support. Custom requirements are reviewed case by case — share your specification and volume and we will confirm feasibility.

FAQ