https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2015.08.004
“Using MEA in a global scale would have a large impact on the production and cost of this chemical. Nevertheless, other effects related to the impact of an increased production on the environment due to the emissions of CO2 during the production process should not be underestimated. In order to detect the main points of concern, the following lines describe briefly the general production process of MEA, based on the reaction between ammonia (NH3) and ethylene oxide (EO), two of the Top 50 global chemicals produced by mass [4]. The overall process should include the production of NH3 and EO, in order to be able to see the overall picture of CO2 emissions. Thus, it can be divided in three parts according to Fig. 1: 1) NH3 production; 2) EO production; and finally, 3) MEA production.
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