(meth)acrylic acid production process

A process for production of (meth)acrylic acid, comprising at least the following steps:

• i) subjecting at least one (meth)acrylic acid precursor to gas-phase oxidation in the presence of an air feed so as to form a gas reaction mixture comprising (meth)acrylic acid;
• ii) cooling the gas reaction mixture;
• iii) subjecting the gas reaction mixture to dehydration without using azeotropic solvent in a dehydration column, resulting in a first top gas stream and in a first bottom stream;
• at least partly subjecting the first top gas stream distilled at the top of the dehydration column to condensation in a top condenser to form condensate, the condensate being returned to the dehydration column in reflux form to absorb acrylic acid, and at least partly returning gas effluent to the oxidation reaction, and subjecting a remainder to thermal and/or catalytic oxidation;
• at least partly subjecting, the first bottom stream from the bottom of the dehydration column to distillation in a finishing column, resulting in a second top stream, and in a second bottom stream containing heavy compounds;
• vi) recovering a (meth)acrylic acid stream by drawing off (meth)acrylic acid from a side of the finishing column;
• and further applying a water condensation step to at least one of two streams selected from the group consisting of:
• the air feed for the oxidation reaction of step i), and the gas effluent at an outlet of the top condenser of step iv) which is recycled to the oxidation reaction.