Patent ID: 7977513

Claim:
A method for producing a mono-lower-alkylmonoalkanolamine by a reaction of a mono-lower-alkylamine and an alkylene oxide, the method comprising the steps of: feeding the mono-lower-alkylamine in excess with respect to the amount of the alkylene oxide in a reactor for selectively obtaining the mono-lower-alkylmonoalkanolamine; separating unreacted raw material by distillation from a product including unreacted raw materials obtained in the reactor, in an unreacted-raw-material-recovery distillation column downstream of the reactor; and returning the unreacted raw material separated from the unreacted-raw-material-recovery distillation column to the mono-lower-alkylamine raw material; wherein, in each step reaction temperature is in a range of from 50 to 250° C., reaction pressure is in a range of from 0.1 to 10 megapascals, and water content is in a range of from 1 to 40 wt %.