Method for purifying caprolactam

A process for purifying crude caprolactam which has been obtained by 1) converting a mixture (I) comprising 6-aminocapronitrile and water to a mixture (II) comprising caprolactam, ammonia, water, high boilers and low boilers in the presence of a catalyst, then 2) removing ammonia from mixture (II) to obtain a mixture (III) comprising caprolactam, water, high boilers and low boilers, then 3) completely or partly removing water from mixture (III) to obtain crude caprolactam (IV) comprising caprolactam, high boilers and low boilers, which comprises a) feeding the crude caprolactam and an inorganic acid which has a boiling point above the boiling point of caprolactam under the distillation conditions of the following steps b) to h) to a first distillation apparatus C1, b) distilling the crude caprolactam and the inorganic acid in the first distillation apparatus C1, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and a second substream in the top region of the distillation apparatus C1, c) feeding the second substream from step b) to a second distillation apparatus C2, d) distilling the second substream from step b) in the second distillation apparatus C2, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and a second substream in the top region of the distillation apparatus C2, e) feeding the first substream from step d) to a third distillation apparatus C3, f) distilling the first substream from d) in the third distillation apparatus C3, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and purified caprolactam in the top region of distillation apparatus C3, and g) feeding the first substream from step f) to the first distillation apparatus C1.