Thermal and oxidative degradation of aqueous N, N-Diethylethanolamine (DEEA) at stripping conditions for CO2 capture

An exact and reliable estimation of amine degradation, which can lead to significant problems, such as solvent losses, degradation by-products, fouling, foaming, corrosion, and increasing solution viscosity, is very important for development of innovative amines with higher chemical stability. In this study, thermal and oxidative degradations of aqueous N, N-Diethylethanolamine (DEEA) solution with CO2 were investigated in a 600 mL stainless steel autoclave and compared with aqueous MEA solution. The results showed that DEEA solutions demonstrated a higher resistance to thermal degradation. The influence of key operating parameters, such as temperature, CO2 loading, and DEEA concentration, on DEEA loss (mol%) were also investigated. In addition, the possible mechanisms of DEEA thermal degradation have been developed on the basis of the identified products. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.