Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.

Kazuo Anyouji

Hiroyuki Uhara

Tsukasa Takahashi

Hideo Onodera

Etsushige Matsunami

Hideyuki Hironaka

This invention is related to a shell-and-tube type reactor provided with reaction tubes packed with a catalyst and adapted to circulate a heat medium to the fluid outside the tubes and is characterized by a method introducing a gas into the catalyst beds so as to retain the relative humidity of the catalyst in the range of more than 40% while elevating the temperature of the reactor thereby starting up the reactor. This method prevents the catalyst from degradation of activity due to absorption of moisture, exalts the service life of the catalyst, and permits stable production of methacrylic acid.

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Himeji, Japan

Kazuo Anyouji