Abstract: A process for co-manufacture of acrylonitrile and hydrogen cyanide comprises combining a stream comprising hydrogen cyanide and an acrylonitrile reactor product stream, to produce a combined product stream, having a ratio of acrylonitrile to hydrogen cyanide of about 9 to 1 or less, which can be varied; and treating the combined product stream in a recovery/purification system of acrylonitrile process wherein pH is controlled by addition of an acid to prevent HCN polymerization. The ratio of acrylonitrile to hydrogen cyanide is generally between 2 to 1 and 9 to 1. The stream comprising hydrogen cyanide is advantageously a hydrogen cyanide product stream from a hydrogen cyanide synthesis reactor.

Abstract: An improved two step (dual stage catalysis) aqueous hydrogenation process and a novel trimetallic hydrogenation catalysts consisting essentially of highly dispersed, reduced ruthenium and rhenium metals in the presence of a third metal tin on carbon support particular useful in the second stage of the process. Such process and catalyst exhibit high conversion rates in aqueous solution hydrogenation of hydrogenatable precursors (e.g., maleic acid, succinic acid, corresponding esters, .gamma.-butyrolactone, etc.) to tetrahydrofuran, .gamma.-butyrolactone, 1,4-butanediol and mixtures thereof wherein the relative molar ratio of 1,4-butanediol to tetrahydrofuran products being produced can be controlled.