Opportunities and challenges in Upscaling the production of N,N-dimethylaminoethanol from bio-based glycolaldehyde

•Upscaling bio-based ethanolamines production via catalytic reductive amination.•Evaluating gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient kLa on product selectivity.•Impact of industrial crude feedstock on the productivity and selectivity of sustainable ethanolamine production. In recent years, significant focus has been placed on the sustainable chemical production of ethanolamines using bio-based feedstocks. Thorough investigations have been conducted to explore and refine laboratory-scale methodologies. However, important parameters for successfully scaling up these processes to meet industrial productivity standards are often overlooked. In this article, the feasibility of scaling up the production of N,N-dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) from bio-derived industrial glycolaldehyde (GA) was investigated. By determining a minimum kLa value of 0.27 s−1, a 97 % selectivity towards DMAE at complete GA conversion was ensured, irrespective of the reactor configuration. This improvement led to a substantial productivity increase, reaching up to 1526 kg DMAE/m3.h. Additionally, it was observed that impurities present in the industrial crude GA feedstock lowered the DMAE selectivity to 76 %. Notably, the presence of acidic impurities within the crude feedstock was identified as the main cause of the imbalance between the hydrogenation, dehydration, and tautomerization reaction, ultimately resulting in the formation of undesired diamines. This article elucidates potential engineering approaches to enhance the selectivity and productivity for the industrial production of bio-based ethanolamines.