The invention relates to a process for preparing butadiene from n-butenes, which comprises the following steps:A) provision of a feed gas
stream a comprising n-butenes;B) introduction of the feed gas
stream a comprising n-butenes and an
oxygen-comprising gas into at least one
dehydrogenation zone and oxidative
dehydrogenation of n-butenes to butadiene, giving a
product gas stream b comprising butadiene, unreacted n-butenes,
water vapor,
oxygen, low-boiling hydrocarbons, possibly carbon oxides and possibly
inert gases;C) cooling and compression of the
product gas stream b in at least one compression stage, giving at least one condensate stream c1 comprising water and a gas stream c2 comprising butadiene, n-butenes,
water vapor,
oxygen, low-boiling hydrocarbons, possibly carbon oxides and possibly
inert gases;D) separation of incondensable and low-boiling gas constituents comprising oxygen, low-boiling hydrocarbons, possibly carbon oxides and possibly
inert gases as gas stream d2 from the gas stream c2 byDa) absorption of the C4-hydrocarbons comprising butadiene and n-butenes in a high-boiling absorption medium, giving an absorption medium stream loaded with C4-hydrocarbons and the gas stream d2,Db) removal of oxygen from the absorption medium stream loaded with C4-hydrocarbons by stripping with an
inert gas andDc)
desorption of the C4-hydrocarbons from the loaded absorption medium stream to give a C4
product gas stream d1 which consists essentially of C4-hydrocarbons and comprises less than 100 ppm of oxygen;E) separation of the C4 product stream d1 by
extractive distillation with a
solvent which is selective for butadiene into a stream e1 comprising butadiene and the selective
solvent and a stream e2 comprising n-butenes;F)
distillation of the stream e1 comprising butadiene and the selective
solvent to give a stream f1 consisting essentially of the selective solvent and a butadiene-comprising stream f2.