Abstract One of major complications, expected in the scale-up of operation of a MEA process, in which 2-aminoethanol is used as a chemical absorbent, is an increase in gallons of waste amine solution disposed from reclaimer bottoms by degradation. This study was designed to evaluate the use of biodegradation by pure cultures of Escherichia coli K12 for that treatment. The results obtained indicate that this microorganism effectively cleaves waste 2-aminoethanol to ammonium ion and acetaldehyde, assimilates ammonium ion as a nitrogen source and transforms acetaldehyde to acetic acid. The biodegradation activity was positively affected by the presence of impurities in waste 2-aminoethanol solution. An experiment with chemostat resulted a degradation rate of 1.64g/(dm3·h), which is suggestive of a good possibility of an integration of this ecotechnology to the MEA process.