The objectives of this study are: (1) to determine the effect of pH, initial concentration of Fe2+ and H2O2 dosage on the removal efficiency of MEA by fluidized-bed Fenton process and Fenton process, (2) to determine the optimal conditions for the degradation of ethanolamine from TFT-LCD wastewater by fluidized-bed Fenton process. In the design of experiment, the Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the operating conditions. A removal efficiency of 98.9% for 5 mM MEA was achieved after 2 h under optimal conditions of pH 3, [Fe2+] = 5 mM and [H2O2] = 60 mM. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.