PROCESSES FOR PRODUCTION OF ACRYLIC ACID AND/OR ESTER THEREOF AND POLYMER OF THE ACRYLIC ACID AND/OR THE ESTER

摘要

The present invention aims to provide a method for stably producing highly pure acrylic acid and/or an ester thereof for a long time, in which a blockage in an evaporator or reactor and lowering of the catalytic activity are suppressed. The present invention also aims to provide a method for producing a hydrophilic resin with excellent performance and high safety using acrylic acid and/or an ester thereof containing fewer impurities as a raw material. The present invention relates to a method for producing acrylic acid and/or an ester thereof from a raw material composition containing hydroxypropionic acid and/or an ester thereof, the method including the steps of: (a) evaporating the raw material composition; and (b) dehydrating the evaporated raw material composition by contact with a dehydration catalyst, wherein the total amount of hydroxypropionic acid and/or an ester thereof supplied in the step (b) is controlled to be 70% by mass or more based on 100% by mass of the total amount of hydroxypropionic acid and/or an ester thereof supplied in the step (a).