Hiroshi Kameo

The new process for acrylonitrile production

Publisher Summary Acrylonitrile (AN) is an important and versatile chemical intermediate. Its versatility arises from its two functional groups: a double bond and a cyano group. As a consequence, AN has become an important ingredient in preparing many chemical products such as acrylic fibers, ABS resins and adiponitrile. AN can be produced by several routes, two of which are shown in this chapter. However, propylene ammoxidation in fluidized bed reactors has become the major process for AN production. Since its development by HP (formerly SOHIO) in the 1960s, the fluidized bed propylene ammoxidation process has undergone continuous improvement, and today more than 4 million tons of AN is produced annually by ammoxidation of propylene. Yet, alternative raw materials such as propane provide advantages over propylene.