A process for the production of acrylic acid

The invention relates to a method for producing acrylic acid from formaldehyde and acetic acid, comprising (I) providing a gaseous material stream S1 comprising formaldehyde, acetic acid, oxygen and water, wherein the content of the stream to formaldehyde within the range from 8 to 18% by volume based on the total volume of the stream S1, is S1, the ratio of the volumes of acetic acid to formaldehyde in the range of 0.6: 1;: 1 to 1.1: 1, and the molar ratio of oxygen to the total amount of organic carbon in the range from 0.02: 1 to 0.15 (Ii) contacting the material stream S1 with an aldol condensation catalyst in a reaction zone to obtain a gaseous material stream comprising acrylic acid S2.