A process for producing an unsaturated nitrile with saved energy by which the bottom stream from a recovery column is used as the heat source for at least one distillation column in the process and thereafter used to pre-heat a recovery column feed withdrawn from the bottom of an absorption column, characterized in that the bottom stream of the absorption column is previously heated by at least one source of waste heat in the process, the source being selected from (1) the circulating water in the quenching column, (2) the overhead vapor of the absorption column, (3) the overhead vapor of a dehydration column and (4) the overhead vapor of a product column.