|
HS Code |
138355 |
| Chemicalformula | C2H4O |
| Molecularweight | 44.05 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colorless gas or liquid |
| Odor | Ether-like, sweet |
| Boilingpoint | 10.7°C (51.3°F) |
| Meltingpoint | -111.3°C (-168.3°F) |
| Density | 0.872 g/cm³ (at 20°C, liquid) |
| Solubilityinwater | Miscible |
| Flashpoint | -20°C (-4°F) |
| Autoignitiontemperature | 429°C (804°F) |
| Vaporpressure | 1460 mmHg (20°C) |
| Explosivelimits | 3% - 100% (in air by volume) |
| Casnumber | 75-21-8 |
As an accredited Industrial Ethylene Oxide factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Industrial Ethylene Oxide is packaged in 200-liter steel drums with safety valves, clearly labeled with hazard symbols and handling instructions. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Container Loading (20′ FCL) for Industrial Ethylene Oxide: Typically loaded in 20-foot ISO tanks; maximum net weight around 17-18 metric tons. |
| Shipping | Industrial Ethylene Oxide is shipped in specialized, high-pressure cylinders or tank containers, complying with strict safety regulations due to its flammability and toxicity. Shipping includes temperature and pressure controls, robust labeling, and emergency response provisions to ensure safe handling, transport, and storage. Appropriate documentation and regulatory compliance are mandatory throughout transit. |
| Storage | Industrial ethylene oxide should be stored in tightly sealed, pressure-rated containers away from heat sources, direct sunlight, and ignition sources. The storage area must be well-ventilated, temperature controlled (below 38°C), and equipped with explosion-proof equipment. Store ethylene oxide separately from acids, bases, and oxidizers, with proper labeling and emergency controls for leaks or fires, as it is highly flammable and toxic. |
| Shelf Life | Industrial Ethylene Oxide typically has a shelf life of 1 year when stored in tightly sealed containers under cool, dry conditions. |
Applications of Industrial Ethylene Oxide in Industrial ManufacturingIndustrial ethylene oxide serves as a vital raw material in several high-demand sectors, enabling manufacturers to synthesize essential intermediates and components for diverse downstream products. Our production and quality control processes focus on supplying ethylene oxide that meets stringent industry standards, supporting precise integration and performance in these targeted application scenarios. 1. Non-Ionic Surfactant ProductionEthylene oxide remains the key alkoxylation agent for manufacturing ethoxylated non-ionic surfactants, widely used in household detergents, textile processing, and industrial cleaning formulations. In controlled batch or continuous reactors, manufacturers add ethylene oxide to fatty alcohols or alkylphenols to obtain ethoxylates with tailored HLB values and physical properties, which must meet rigorous safety and purity benchmarks for each market. Industry compliance standards
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2. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) SynthesisEthylene oxide is the essential monomer in the polymerization process for the production of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a core intermediate in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, lubricants, and excipient applications. PEG chain length and molecular weight distribution are controlled through precise handling of ethylene oxide addition and catalyst dosing, requiring strict adherence to product-specific quality and regulatory frameworks. Industry compliance standards
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3. Ethanolamines ManufacturingProducers synthesize monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and triethanolamine (TEA) through the exothermic reaction of ethylene oxide with aqueous ammonia in controlled reactors. These ethanolamines enable downstream formulators to develop gas treatment solvents, personal care pH regulators, textile softeners, and cement grinding aids—each requiring specific quality and safety certification for their intended market. Industry compliance standards
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4. Glycol Ethers ProductionEthylene oxide provides the base molecule for synthesizing glycol ethers, crucial as coalescing agents, ink solvents, and hydraulic fluid components. Reacting ethylene oxide with various alcohols under defined process parameters yields mono- and di- glycol ethers, which must comply with global human safety and environmental regulations in coatings, semiconductor, and cleaning agent applications. Industry compliance standards
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5. Ethylene Glycol Production for PET and AntifreezeThrough controlled hydrolysis of ethylene oxide, downstream manufacturers obtain ethylene glycol as a primary building block for producing polyester (PET) plastics and automotive coolants. The process requires intensive monitoring to ensure low by-product formation and consistent glycol purity that aligns with tight polymerization and antifreeze formulation standards. Industry compliance standards
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Competitive Industrial Ethylene Oxide prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
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Tel: +8618136850665
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Every day, we oversee tanks, pipelines, and reactors that turn ethylene into the compound that keeps thousands of factories running: ethylene oxide. From the earliest hours of the shift, our people track temperature and pressure, measure purity, and monitor for anything unusual. The result is a colorless, flammable gas we cool and store carefully—because small missteps have big consequences, and every kilogram matters when our customers put this intermediate into action.
We make ethylene oxide to meet the type of demand that comes directly from manufacturers who run large-scale plants. Most of it goes into producing ethylene glycol, the backbone of antifreeze and polyester fiber—both used in cars and clothing. Pharmaceutical companies, agrochemical makers, sterilization service providers, surface cleaners, and more all rely on the consistent purity we supply. What makes our approach distinct is tight control from raw material through packaging, along with a traceable record for each batch.
The most requested grade from us is a high-purity ethylene oxide gas at 99.9% minimum content, with water and aldehyde impurities kept to less than 0.05%. Producing at scale, we choose tried-and-true Shell or Dow processes—catalyzed direct oxidation of ethylene over a silver-based bed with precise oxygen feed rates—to keep throughput steady and waste minimal.
Our model EO-99.9 targets sectors that demand reliable reactivity, minimal dust or trace metals, and low residual monomer content. Temperature and pressure during storage make as much difference as process purity, so insulated, pressure-regulated vessels remain our norm. Some customers request bulk delivery to dedicated on-site vessels, others draw from reusable ISO tanks, but either way, transfer needs controlled environments and trained handling. We back up all shipments with certified lot analysis reports—a necessity for anyone making pharmaceuticals, resins, or high-grade surfactants.
Typical specification sheets won’t capture the day-to-day work behind these standards. We keep certain pipelines hotter in winter to prevent polymerization blockages. Inspection teams check every flange and relief valve before and after each fill. Any trace of NOx or sulfur can ruin a downstream batch, so scrubbers and monitoring instruments run nonstop. These real-world controls, not just lab numbers, let us guarantee the quality that downstream syntheses rely on.
Few molecules have as much wide-reaching impact on life’s basics as ethylene oxide. Nearly every polyester textile starts with raw material derived from this compound. Factories producing PET bottles for water and soft drinks need our gas before any plastic pellet hits an extrusion line. In agriculture, the surfactants and emulsifiers that help herbicides spread evenly begin with ethylene oxide as the first building block.
We see its influence in healthcare most acutely. Hospital sterilization centers need reliable, high-purity ethylene oxide to disinfect surgical tools, single-use medical devices, and laboratory equipment. Our team spent months collaborating with several major medical device producers, refining both the fill method and impurity cutoff for critical hygiene standards. For specialty chemicals, such as non-ionic surfactants and friction reducers in oil recovery, our batches offer the stoichiometric accuracy on which formulation chemists depend. Without dependable upstream supply, those downstream outlets must halt their own lines and turn away orders.
Clients often tell us they can’t risk interruption—one missed or low-purity shipment impacts days of production. We invest in backup power, alternate feedstock supply routes, and redundancies throughout our facilities for this reason. Our annual throughput meets many times the local market volume, which lets us weather sudden spikes in demand without shorting key customers.
Making and handling ethylene oxide isn’t about pressing a button or setting a timer; it’s constant vigilance. This compound poses real risk, both as an inhalation hazard and as a reactive substance that can ignite with little provocation. Even after decades of operation, we treat every ton we feed into a reactor or withdraw into a tanker as if it’s the first. We maintain on-call teams trained in industrial firefighting and emergency containment. Our scrubber systems use redundant fail-safes, and we continually invest in advanced leak detection for process lines, railcar connections, and storage yards.
Air emissions matter, too. Over the years, we adjusted our plant venting to minimize fugitive releases. Lowering operating temperature, improving catalyst longevity, and rearranging off-gas treatment all played a role. Today, we comply with international environmental and occupational health standards, not only because a regulator requires it, but because we live in these communities. Several years ago, a local incident at a competitor’s site prompted us to evaluate every emergency procedure from response time to buffer zone management. Every neighbor and end-user expects this diligence.
Some people compare ethylene oxide to propylene oxide or other alkylene oxides, but the differences matter in real-world applications. Ethylene oxide offers unmatched reactivity due to its strained three-membered ring—making it a premier intermediate for glycol and surfactant synthesis. The reaction rates allow for high conversion with fewer by-products, bringing both economic and environmental benefits at scale.
Working daily with real production lines, we notice how ethylene oxide’s boiling point, vapor pressure, and water solubility shape handling requirements. Higher reactivity increases sterilization capability but also raises explosion risk. Propylene oxide smells less strong at trace concentrations, but it won’t match ethylene oxide’s efficacy in sterilizing porous loads or certain single-use plastics. As a feedstock, ethylene oxide’s smaller molecular footprint means tighter packing in reactors and more compact equipment—advantages for high-throughput manufacturers needing a small site footprint.
We often work with clients who switched from other intermediate chemicals to ethylene oxide after running headlong into scale-up limits, higher waste, or less predictable reactivity. Those lessons show why this molecule remains a cornerstone in so many sectors: it brings consistent reaction kinetics, available supply, and established handling infrastructure. But it also demands experience—years spent learning the quirks of pump seals, insulation, and trace metal corrosion. It’s not a chemical suited for beginners or casual handling.
We do more than fill tanks. Each batch goes out with supporting documentation and guidance, language crafted for plant operators, not just laboratory staff. We review customer piping layouts, recommend transfer pump materials, and help choose the right gaskets to reduce downtime. Once, a customer in eastern China faced repeated polymer build-up; after a site visit, our team traced the cause to overlooked insulation breakdown near a heat exchanger, then provided upgraded material and revised procedures—cutting their downtime by more than half.
Shipping ethylene oxide at scale requires a robust, coordinated team. Delivery drivers hold special certificates and equipment checks cut no corners. We keep detailed logs retraceable for years, covering every delivery’s conditions and deviations. When a receiving plant faces a shutdown, our operations managers often step in by hot-swapping tanks or providing on-the-spot troubleshooting. Regular training cycles ensure our people stay current on safety guidelines and regulatory updates.
Every process and every relationship with customers hinges on trust—ours and theirs. The margin for error is small, and reputation spreads quickly in the industry. We maintain open lines with every downstream partner, updating them on planned maintenance outages or weather disruptions before they impact production schedules. Feedback comes back the same way; if a change in purity or delivery is needed, adjustments move rapid-fire through our control rooms.
The stakes involved in ethylene oxide production demand full transparency and continuous improvement. We collaborate with technology licensors to refine catalysts and enhance conversion efficiency. Recent upgrades to reactor linings cut downtime under scheduled maintenance windows by almost a third. With every capital investment, we walk through risk assessments not only with in-house teams but alongside local safety officials and customer representatives. Quality audits aren’t formalities—they offer insight into process tweaks, bottlenecks, and ways to boost yield.
A portion of our profit goes into regular plant upgrades, higher-grade instrumentation, and more advanced early warning safeguards. Years back, a corrosion-related near-miss in a storage sphere prompted a cross-plant equipment audit. We swapped out the failing components and developed a training package for all field operators based on near-miss learnings. That knowledge transfer stopped similar issues from repeating.
Occasionally, rapid changes in global logistics—such as port shutdowns or shifts in export policy—require us to adapt. We pre-position inventory and stay in touch with customs and regulatory agencies to avoid interruptions. Lead times sometimes stretch beyond projections; in anticipation, we help regular buyers adjust purchase forecasts and on-site storage strategies. Our partners rarely find themselves scrambling last-minute for supply.
We recognize mounting regulatory and environmental pressures on the use and transport of ethylene oxide. Smarter plant design, improved process control, and advanced emission abatement remain front-and-center in our planning. We adopt digital twins to simulate process changes with higher accuracy and use real-time data analytics to optimize throughput while slashing potential emissions. Any process modification, no matter how small, only goes forward when it meets the highest current safety and compliance standards.
Environmental groups often raise concerns about ambient emissions, and we listen. Continuous fence-line monitoring, third-party site audits, and community engagement help build trust. A recent investment in enhanced flare system automation lets our site engineers capture and analyze every deviation, turning what could be wasted product into saved raw material while slashing off-gas.
Long-term, our research team investigates possible biological or catalytic routes to ethylene oxide from renewable feedstocks, recognizing both the promise and the current technical hurdles. At every step, we concentrate on scalable, commercially viable solutions rather than laboratory curiosities. Industry partnerships, academic collaborations, and real-world field tests drive meaningful progress.
Through it all, the people working the night shift, the engineers solving day-to-day problems, and the logistics teams moving tonnage safely from site to customer keep industrial ethylene oxide supply running. The work never stays static. Our methods, our knowledge, and our relationships with partners evolve with changing regulation, market demand, and technology. This is why a product as familiar as ethylene oxide never becomes routine—it’s a link in countless industrial chains, and a responsibility we carry daily.
