Selectivity characteristics of the electrohydrodimerization of acrylonitrile

A mathematical model of a reaction scheme for the electrohydrodymerization of acrylonitrile to adiponitrile in a loop reactor is presented. This model, which is based on a plug flow reactor with a recycle loop and continuous removal of product, is used to simulate steady-state operation at various operating conditions. The effect of flowrate, current density and mass transport are investigated in terms of their effect on product distributions and selectivity. Overall, the reaction model deals with the formation of five products from the cathodic reactions.