Method for electrolytic reduction of acrylonitrile to produce adiponitrile and hexanetricarbonitrile

Abstract

A method for electrolytic reduction of acrylonitrile to produce adiponitrile and hexanetricarbonitrile is provided. The method for the electrolytic reduction of the acrylonitrile to produce the adiponitrile and the hexanetricarbonitrile includes following steps: mixing acrylonitrile with an electrolyte solution and then performing electrolytic reduction to obtain the adiponitrile and the hexanetricarbonitrile, where components of the electrolyte solution includes: a supporting electrolyte, an electrode protector, a complexing agent, a quaternary ammonium salt, and an easily oxidizable substance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for electrolytic reduction of acrylonitrile to produce adiponitrile and hexanetricarbonitrile, comprising following steps:
 mixing the acrylonitrile with an electrolyte solution and then performing the electrolytic reduction to obtain the adiponitrile and the hexanetricarbonitrile;   wherein components of the electrolyte solution comprise: a supporting electrolyte, an electrode protector, a complexing agent, a quaternary ammonium salt, and an easily oxidizable substance;   the easily oxidizable substance comprises methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, oxalic acid, glyoxal, ethylene glycol, or glycerol;   a material of an anode used for the electrolytic reduction comprises any one of carbon steel, stainless steel, nickel, or titanium-based iridium oxide; and   a distance between a cathode and the anode during the electrolytic reduction is 0.1-5 millimeters (mm).   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the supporting electrolyte in the electrolyte solution is 7.5-12.5 percent by weight (wt. %), and the supporting electrolyte comprises a phosphate;
 a concentration of the electrode protector in the electrolyte solution is 1-4 wt. %, and the electrode protector comprises borax;   a concentration of the complexing agent in the electrolyte solution is 0.5-1.5 wt. %, and the complexing agent comprises ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA); and   a concentration of the quaternary ammonium salt in the electrolyte solution is 0.5-2.5 wt. %.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the phosphate comprises disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, or potassium dihydrogen phosphate; and
 the quaternary ammonium salt comprises tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, or tetrabutylammonium hydroxide.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the acrylonitrile in the electrolyte solution is 7.5-15 wt. %. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the easily oxidizable substance in the electrolyte solution is 0.1-5.0 moles per liter (mol/L). 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a temperature for the electrolytic reduction is 20-50 degrees Celsius (° C.), a current density is 500-5000 amperes per square meter (A/m 2 ), and an electric charge is 0.5-0.9 Faraday per mole (F/mol). 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a material of the cathode comprises any one of cadmium, lead, or a cadmium-lead alloy. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a linear velocity of the electrolyte solution during the electrolytic reduction is 0.02-1.5 meters per second (m/s).