Abstract: A process for the recovery of methacrylic acid from an aqueous effluent obtained by the vapor phase condensation of formaldehyde and propionic acid, where the effluent further contains unreacted formaldehyde and unreacted propionic acid, and where the recovery steps include: extracting the effluent with an organic solvent capable of azeotroping with propionic acid to obtain an organic phase and an aqueous raffinate; distilling the organic phase to remove 50-100% of the unreacted propionic acid and leaving as bottoms remaining unreacted propionic acid and methacrylic acid; distilling the methacrylic/propionic acid bottoms to obtain remaining unreacted propionic acid overhead and pure methacrylic acid as bottoms; distilling the aqueous raffinate with an entrainer to obtain dilute aqueous formaldehyde overhead and about 50% aqueous formaldehyde as bottoms; and distilling the dilute aqueous formaldehyde taken overhead to concentrate it to about 35% aqueous concentration.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for distilling corrosive carboxylic acids free of olefinic unsaturation in distillation apparatus constructed of corrodible metal, which includes the steps of introducing a crude dilute solution of such a corrosive acid into the distillation zone, distilling in the presence of an effective amount of p-benzoquinone or of 1,4-naphthoquinone, and recovering the concentrated corrosive acid outside the distillation zone. The amount of p-benzoquinone or of 1,4-naphthoquinone is such as to effectively prevent or reduce to acceptable limits the corrosion of the metal distillation apparatus by such acids, and also to permit this distillation process to be effectuated at those high acid vapor temperatures which otherwise would not be feasible because of the heightened degree of corrosiveness exhibited by the acids at such temperatures.