Electrosynthesis of Adiponitrile with a Rotating Cylindrical Electrode

Adiponitrile (ADN) is an important chemical raw material used in the production of nylon 66 that can be synthesized from acrylonitrile (AN) through cathodic hydrodimerization. This is the first time that a rotating cylindrical electrode (RCE) has been used in the electrosynthesis of ADN. The RCE provides turbulence to promote the mass transfer of AN for ADN formation. This report studied the effects of geometric parameters, including electrode radii and length, on the selectivity, current efficiency, AN utilization, and yield. Among the selected cell geometric parameters, the cathode radius had a major effect, the electrode length had a strong effect, and the electrode spacing had a minor effect. Higher turbulence, due to a larger cathode radius, longer electrode length, and smaller electrode spacing, produced ADN more efficiently. The highest yield among the results was 0.33 g cm–2 h–1 with the highest current efficiency of 82% at a dimensionless time of 0.5 and a cathode rotation rate of 3000 rpm.