Triethanolamine (CAS 102-71-6): storage and disposal

Thick, colourless and almost odourless when fresh, triethanolamine sits in college, university and pathology stores as a neat liquid. It is not normally classified as hazardous, but it is still a chemical waste that needs describing correctly. Most surplus bottles are old, half-used and carry labels that have lost their date.

CAS number: 102-71-6
Form: Liquid
Storage class: General
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock: 16 05 09

What to do this week

Without moving anything that looks damaged, check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
Check it is stored as general stock, and apart from anything listed under "Do not store with" on this page. If nothing is listed, that does not prove it is safe with everything.
If you no longer need it, add it to your disposal list so it can be included in a collection.

Safe storage in a school or lab

Check the cap on every bottle of triethanolamine, since the liquid is thick and sticky and tends to glue itself to the thread. It sits happily in a dry, labelled general store, dated on arrival. One separation matters: keep it away from hypochlorites and chlorine releasing products such as sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, chloramine T and sodium dichloroisocyanurate, because these oxidising chemicals are incompatible with triethanolamine. Pathology labs that keep bleach based cleaners in the same cupboard should move one of them. A tray under the bottle catches the slow drip down the neck. Keep food grade supplies elsewhere.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Colour is what changes. Triethanolamine starts water clear and slowly goes yellow and then amber when it has been exposed to air and light, so a deeply tinted bottle is old. It also takes up moisture, so the liquid may look thinner or cloudy in a bottle that has been opened often. Sticky residue on the neck and a stuck cap are common, and a faded label is the bigger problem for old stock. None of these changes marks a classified hazard, but a discoloured bottle is no longer reliable for work that depends on purity.

How it is disposed of

We arrange this by specialist collection. We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical. It is normally packed in a non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Say what the bottle is, how full it is and what state the cap is in. Although it is not normally classified as hazardous, it remains a chemical waste and the description has to be accurate, so it does not go down a drain or into a skip, and a college should not decant it to clear the shelf. A transfer note covers the journey, and a hospital pathology lab uses its own healthcare entry. The specialist carrier packs it away from hypochlorites in a compatible group.

Waste codes for Triethanolamine
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock	16 05 09
Human healthcare setting	18 01 07
Usually classed as hazardous waste	No

The code depends on where the waste came from and what it contains, and classifying it is the producer's duty. Use the waste code finder to see why.

Do not store with

Named chemicals to keep apart

Calcium hypochloriteHypochlorites and chlorine releasing products can react dangerously with this amine, giving toxic chlorinated products.
Chloramine THypochlorites and chlorine releasing products can react dangerously with this amine, giving toxic chlorinated products.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurateHypochlorites and chlorine releasing products can react dangerously with this amine, giving toxic chlorinated products.
Sodium hypochloriteHypochlorites and chlorine releasing products can react dangerously with this amine, giving toxic chlorinated products.

Common quantities

Usually held as: neat.

Tell us the container size and how many you hold. An estimate is enough to start with, and some items cannot be priced until someone has looked at them.

Where it is commonly held

Questions

Is triethanolamine safe to pour away because it is not classified as hazardous?

No. It is not normally classified as hazardous, but it is still chemical waste. It must not go into a drain or bin, and collection by a specialist carrier is the route.

Why has it turned yellow?

Exposure to air and light slowly tints the liquid yellow to amber. It shows the bottle is old and no longer pure, but it is a change of appearance and not a new hazard.

What should it be kept away from?

Hypochlorite and chlorine releasing products, including bleach, chloramine T and sodium dichloroisocyanurate, because they are incompatible oxidising chemicals. Store them in separate cabinets, and do not carry them on one trolley.