Provided is a continuous process for the oxidative cleavage of derivatives of unsaturated carboxylic acids for the production of saturated carboxylic acids and their derivatives which comprises the steps of: a) feeding to a first reactor at least a derivative of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an oxidizing compound and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the olefinic double bond to obtain an intermediate compound containing vicinal diols, and of b) feeding to a second reactor said intermediate compound, a compound containing oxygen and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the vicinal diols to carboxylic groups, to obtain saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) and derivatives of saturated carboxylic acids with more than one acid function (ii); c) separating the saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) from the derivatives of carboxylic acids having more than one acid function (ii).

Provided is a continuous process for the oxidative cleavage of derivatives of unsaturated carboxylic acids for the production of saturated carboxylic acids and their derivatives which comprises the steps of: a) feeding to a first reactor at least a derivative of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an oxidizing compound and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the olefinic double bond to obtain an intermediate compound containing vicinal diols, and of b) feeding to a second reactor said intermediate compound, a compound containing oxygen and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the vicinal diols to carboxylic groups, to obtain saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) and derivatives of saturated carboxylic acids with more than one acid function (ii); c) separating the saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) from the derivatives of carboxylic acids having more than one acid function (ii).

A process for production of acrylic acid includes preparing a product gas mixture by a catalytic gas-phase oxidation of a C.sub.3 precursor; cooling and contacting the cooled product gas mixture in an absorption column having at least two cooling loops in countercurrent with an absorbent to obtain an absorbate A, containing the absorbent and absorbed acrylic acid; condensing a high boiler fraction of the product gas mixture in a first cooling loop; condensing a low boiler fraction of the product gas mixture in a second cooling loop; maintaining a temperature of the absorbate A in the second cooling loop at a value of at least 56 C.; removing an acid water stream comprising glyoxal from the absorption column at a side take-off located above the second cooling loop; and removing a stream F of absorbate A from the absorption column at a side take-off, located at a height of the absorption column between the first cooling loop and the second cooling loop.

A process for production of acrylic acid includes preparing a product gas mixture by a catalytic gas-phase oxidation of a C.sub.3 precursor; cooling and contacting the cooled product gas mixture in an absorption column having at least two cooling loops in countercurrent with an absorbent to obtain an absorbate A, containing the absorbent and absorbed acrylic acid; condensing a high boiler fraction of the product gas mixture in a first cooling loop; condensing a low boiler fraction of the product gas mixture in a second cooling loop; maintaining a temperature of the absorbate A in the second cooling loop at a value of at least 56 C.; removing an acid water stream comprising glyoxal from the absorption column at a side take-off located above the second cooling loop; and removing a stream F of absorbate A from the absorption column at a side take-off, located at a height of the absorption column between the first cooling loop and the second cooling loop.

The invention is related to a process for production of acrylic acid comprising the following steps: a) preparation of a product gas mixture by a catalytic gas-phase oxidation of at least one C.sub.3 precursor compound to acrylic acid, wherein acrylic acid is formed as a main product of the catalytic gas-phase oxidation and glyoxal is formed as a by-product and the product gas mixture comprises acrylic acid and glyoxal, b) cooling of the product gas mixture, c) contacting the product gas mixture in countercourrent with an absorbent, wherein an absorbate A, comprising the absorbent and absorbed acrylic acid, is formed, d) introducing a feed stream F (2) comprising at least part of the absorbate A into a rectification column comprising a rectifying section and a stripping section, e) enriching the absorbent in the stripping section and enriching acrylic acid in the rectifying section, f) withdrawing a stream C of crude acrylic acid comprising at least 90% by weight of acrylic acid out of the rectifying section as a side stream,
wherein step c) is carried out in an absorption column (12) comprising at least two cooling loops, a first cooling loop (14), wherein a high boiler fraction of the product gas mixture is condensed and a second cooling loop (16), wherein a low boiler fraction of the product gas mixture is condensed,
wherein a portion of the absorbate A, which comprises the feed stream F (2), is removed from the absorption column (12) at a side take-off (20), the side take-off (20) being located at the first cooling loop (14) or at a height of the absorption column (12) between the first cooling loop (14) and the second cooling loop (16)
and wherein a temperature Tc of the absorbate A in the second cooling loop is at least 56 C.