# Acrylonitrile

Acrylonitrile is a propylene-and-ammonia intermediate used to make ABS plastic, acrylic fibre, acrylamide, nylon 66 precursors and carbon fibre.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/

Commodity chemicals · Derivatives & intermediates · No. 41

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 7 Mt a year of demand (2025, indicative)
- 3.4 t CO₂e per t
- HS 292610
 Commodity chemicals · Derivatives & intermediates · Foundation · Matter

The same molecule toughens your phone case, warms your acrylic jumper and goes into lightweight carbon fibre.

Chart: Illustration: Acrylonitrile

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Propylene, ammonia and air react over a bismuth-molybdate catalyst in a fluidised bed. The reaction gives off so much heat that plants export high-pressure steam.

##### Three things to know

1. Almost all acrylonitrile is still made by the SOHIO ammoxidation process first introduced in 1960.
2. Prices slid from about $1.30 per kg CFR South Asia in January 2025 to about $1.04 in February 2026.
3. India's only plant, Reliance's 24 kt unit at Vadodara, has made nothing since at least 2016-17, so nearly all supply is imported.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Propylene, ammonia**1.1 t propylene, 0.48 t ammonia
2. 2 **Ammoxidation**Fluidised bed at 400-500 C
3. 3 **Recovery**Distilled from HCN and acetonitrile
4. 4 **Inhibited liquid**Shipped under nitrogen to stop polymerising
5. 5 **Derivatives**ABS, acrylic fibre, acrylamide, nylon 66
 Covered in [The chemical industry: what it makes and how it is organisedChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/chem-industry-map/)[From building blocks to plastics, fibres and detergentsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/building-blocks-to-polymers/)[Pharmaceuticals and fermentation: from molecule to medicineChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/pharmaceuticals-and-fermentation/)

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acrylonitrile/links/index.md)