Acrylonitrile manufacture

Abstract

A method includes reacting, at a first pressure and in the presence of a catalyst, ammonia, oxygen, and a hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of propane, propylene and isobutylene, and combinations thereof, to provide a reactor effluent stream that includes acrylonitrile. The method includes quenching the reactor effluent stream with a first aqueous stream to provide a quenched stream that includes acrylonitrile. The method includes compressing the quenched stream to provide an effluent compressor stream comprising acrylonitrile, and conveying, at a second pressure, the effluent compressor stream to an absorber. The method includes, in the absorber, absorbing acrylonitrile in a second aqueous stream to provide a rich water comprising acrylonitrile, wherein the absorbing is performed at a pressure greater than the first pressure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.