Process for producing (meth)acrylic ester

A process f or producing a (meth)acrylic ester, which uses an alkylene oxide and an acid as raw materials and an ion-exchange resin as a catalyst, wherein said alkylene oxide used as said raw material comprises at least one alkylene oxide selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, and styrene oxide, wherein said acid used as said raw material comprises at least one acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, wherein said ion-exchange (resin used as a catalyst comprises at least one ion-exchange resin selected from the group consisting of gel resins, porous resins, and high-porous resins,

• with the process comprising a dehydration step and an esterification reaction step, wherein the esterification reaction step follows the dehydration step, wherein the dehydration step comprises the step of azeotropically dehydrating the ion-exchange resin by distilling a solvent together with the ion-exchange resin to remove water impregnated in the ion-exchange resin,
• wherein said solvent is a solution of a mixture of solvents (B) and (C), wherein the solvent (B) is soluble in water in an arbitrary ratio and wherein solvent (C) is at least one member selected from the group consisting of toluene, benzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, heptane, hexane, octane and cyclohexane, and
• wherein the solvent (B) is at least one member selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, formic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, (meth)acrylic acid, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl, methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, acetonitrile, acetone, monoethanol amine, diethanol amine, triethanol amine, glycerin, monoethyleneglycol, diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol.