Specialty amines and ethanolamines: Feedstocks
Why ammonia, methanol and Hormuz decide who wins
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Amines are ammonia plus a carbon feed: methanol, ethanol, ethylene oxide, EDC or fatty acids. Ammonia and methanol together are most of the cost of methylamines, so gas and coal prices and shipping through Hormuz decide who is competitive. Ethanolamine makers need their own EO, which favours the Gulf, US and China.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Natural gas | indirect: about 0.38 t NH3 and 1.42 t methanol per t DMA | nitrogen and carbon source | about 60-75% of methylamine cash cost through ammonia and methanol (indicative) | stoichiometry; indicative |
| Ammonia (ammonia tile) | 0.28-0.55 t per t (stoichiometric, by product) | nitrogen | about 15-25% (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| Methanol (methanol tile) | 1.03-1.63 t per t methylamines (stoichiometric) | methyl groups | about 45-55% for DMA (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| Ethylene oxide (ethylene oxide tile) | 0.72-0.89 t per t ethanolamines (stoichiometric) | ethanol groups | about 70-80% (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| Su Sugar | about 1.02 t ethanol per t ethylamine (stoichiometric) | ethyl groups in India | about 50-60% (indicative) | stoichiometry; indicative |
| Oil Crude oil | indirect | ethylene for EO and EDC | through EO and EDC | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Gulf and US producers with cheap ethane-based EO and gas-based ammonia are lowest cost in ethanolamines. In methylamines, Chinese coal-based methanol and ammonia set Asian prices, while Indian makers pay import parity for methanol and compete on service, purity and derivatives.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilGas Natural gasWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| Gly Herbicides | IPA and DMA salts of glyphosate and 2,4-D; DEA for IDA route |
| Fng Fungicides | ethylenediamine for mancozeb |
| Srf Surfactants | TEA, amine oxides, betaines and quats |
| API Small-molecule APIs | methyl- and ethylamine building blocks |
| EPX Epoxy resins | ethyleneamine hardeners |
| Con Construction chemicals | TEA cement grinding aids |
| WT Water treatment chemicals | EDTA and corrosion inhibitors |