Understanding 2-Ethanolamine Degradation in Postcombustion CO₂ Capture

2-Ethanolamine (MEA) degradation has been studied under varying conditions of relevance to postcombustion CO₂ capture. Degradation experiments performed in the laboratory were chosen to be representative of the conditions in a CO₂ capture plant facility. The thermal degradation of MEA was investigated in closed-batch experiments at 135 °C at different loadings. MEA degradation was also studied in oxidative conditions without additives or by adding FeSO4/fly ash. These experiments were compared with three MEA campaigns performed in pilot plants at Tiller (Norway), Esbjerg (Denmark), and Longannet (U.K.). The same analytical procedures were used to identify and quantify the main degradation compounds. Mechanisms are also proposed to account for the observed degradation products. For the Tiller campaign 99.7% of nitrogen containing compounds in the liquid at the end of the campaign was accounted for by the solvent and quantified degradation products.