# Specialty amines and ethanolamines

Methylamines, ethylamines, ethanolamines and ethyleneamines made from ammonia with methanol, ethanol or ethylene oxide; inputs for drugs, agrochemicals, solvents and carbon-capture solvents.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/

Fine chemicals · Other fine chemicals · No. 105

- Product family
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 5-7 Mt a year across ethanolamines, alkylamines, ethyleneamines and fatty amines (indicative); ethanolamines about 2.5 Mt (derived: about 2 Mt EO, ethylene oxide tile, at about 0.8 t EO per t)
- 3.0 t CO₂e per t
- HS 292211, 292119
 Fine chemicals · Other fine chemicals · Foundation · Matter

Take ammonia, swap a hydrogen for carbon, and you get molecules inside weedkillers, detergents and carbon-capture plants.

Chart: Illustration: Specialty amines and ethanolamines

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Amines are made by reacting ammonia with methanol, ethanol or ethylene oxide; a tonne of dimethylamine needs about 1.42 t of methanol.

##### Three things to know

1. Every amine plant makes a mix of products in fixed proportions, and all of them must be sold, which shapes prices.
2. Monoethanolamine, made from about 0.72 t ethylene oxide and 0.28 t ammonia per tonne, is the benchmark carbon-capture solvent.
3. Balaji Amines sold 106,970 t in FY2026 at a 20% EBITDA margin, rising to 25% in the fourth quarter.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Ammonia**The nitrogen backbone of every amine
2. 2 **Carbon feed**Methanol, ethanol or ethylene oxide added
3. 3 **Amination**Reacted over catalysts at 350-450 C
4. 4 **Separation**Distilled into mono-, di- and tri- products
5. 5 **Derivatives**Solvents, EDTA, choline chloride, pesticide salts

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/specialty_amines/links/index.md)