A process for obtaining pure aniline contains catalytically hydrogenating nitrobenzene, to obtain a reaction mixture, separating the reaction mixture into a gas phase containing hydrogen and a liquid phase, liquid/liquid phase separating the liquid phase to obtain an aqueous phase and also crude aniline containing water as an organic phase, distillatively pre-purifying the crude aniline by removing the water via an overhead stream of a first distillation column to obtain a first bottom stream, feeding the first bottom stream as a feed stream to a pure column from which a pure aniline stream is taken off at the top and a second bottom stream containing high boilers is taken off, and passing the second bottom stream to incineration, by pumping the second bottom stream through heated pipelines and by adding methanol, ethanol, propanol, and/or acetone to the second bottom stream.