METHOD OF INDUSTRIALLY PRODUCING MONOCHLOROACETIC ACID

A method of producing monochloroacetic acid (MCAA) has been disclosed encompassing (a) a stage of the direct chlorination of acetic acid with chlorine and (b) a stage of recovery of the catalyst in the form of acid chlorides from the reaction mixture before (c) a hydrodehalogenation stage characterized by the fact that the chlorination process (a) is conducted at the boiling temperature of the mixture under a pressure of 0-1.0 barg, in an excess of acetic acid with respect to the dosed chlorine gas, while the heat from the reaction is taken off mainly through the evaporation of volatile components of the mixture, followed by their condensation in the reflux condenser above the reactor and the return to the chlorination reaction, after which the reaction mixture containing monochloroacetic acid, acetic acid, dichloroacetic acid and optionally acid chlorides which are present in the mixture and, optionally, anhydrides of these acids, is feed to the vacuum distillation process (b), which is conducted continuously in the distillation column in a vacuum of 0 to 500 mbar from which volatile components of the mixture, mainly acid chlorides, as well as some acetic acid and some monochloroacetic acid are taken off as distillate and returned to the chlorination process as a result of which the catalyst of the chlorination is almost completely recovered.