Modiano etal separation of acrylonitrile by extractive distillation with water

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF THE COMPONENTS OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE RESULTING FROM THE VAPOR PHASE CATALYTIC OXIDATION OF PROPYLENE IN THE PRESENCE OF AMMONIA TO PRODUCE ACRYLONITRILE AND CONTAINING IN ADDITION TO ACRYLONITRILE, HYDROGEN CYANIDE, ACETONITRILE, ACROLEIN, AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES WASHING THE GASES WITH WATER TO PRODUCE A SOLUTION CONTAINING ACRYLONITRILE, ACETONITRILE, ACROLEIN, HYDROGEN CYANIDE, AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE, SAID ACRYLONITRILE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT UP TO ABOUT 6.5% BY WEIGHT OF SAID SOLUTION, SUBJECTING THE SOLUTION TO EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION WITH WATER AS AN EXTRACTANT TO SEPARATE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ACRYLONITRILE AND THE HYDROGEN CYANIDE AS AN OVERHEAD DISTILLATE AND RECOVERING AS BASE PRODUCT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ACETRONITRILE, ACROLEIN AND AMMONIA AND A MAJOR PART OF THE CARBON DIOXIDE WHICH IS HELD IN SOLUTION OWING TO THE PRESENCE OF AMMONIA.