Acrylonitrile:
Acrylonitrile is used primarily in a variety of polymers (plastics), however, it also has several useful by-products such as acetonitrile, hydrogen cyanide and ammonium sulfate.

.​
Market Dynamics:

Acrylonitrile is primarily used to make durable products, such as home furnishings (acrylic fibers for carpets) and car components (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene bumpers, dashboards, wheel covers). Demand for acrylonitrile is important to the life science market because the co-product, acetonitrile is inversely tied to acrylonitrile (when demand for acrylonitrile goes down, the supply of acetonitrile tightens and potentially price goes up as in the 2008 shortage).

Up Stream Materials/Building Blocks:
​​Ammonia

Propylene

Sulfuric acid

By-Products:

  -Acetonitrile

  -Hydrogen cyanide

  -Ammonium sulfate​

Down Stream Materials Consuming Acrylonitrile:

​ Copolymers:

   -Acrylamide 
   -Acrylic acid

   -Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

   -Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA)

   -Acrylonitrile butadiene (NBR)

   -Adiponitrile

   -2-chloro-acrylonitrile  

   -Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN)

By-Products:
  -Acetonitrile 
  -Hydrogen cyanide 
  -Ammonium sulfate​