E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Roy W Sommers

Leon S Scott

Process for the preparation of fiber-grade terephthalic acid by continuously oxidizing paraxylene while vaporizing a portion of the contents of the reactor. Fiber-grade terephthalic acid is produced by maintaining (1) a temperature of at least 210.degree. C., (2) a molecular oxygen content of the noncondensables in the vapor withdrawn from the reactor in the range 3.0-6.0%, (3) a water level of the contents of the oxidizer in the range 5.0-17.0%, (4) a mole ratio of sodium to cobalt plus manganese in the range 0.06-2.0 in the reactor, (5) a mole ratio of cobalt to manganese in the range 0.5-5.0 (6) an organic burn in the range 8.0-15.0 burn units and (7) a productivity in the range 0.45-1.45 pounds of terephthalic acid per minute per 100 pounds of reactor contents.

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Pennsville, NJ, United States of America

Roy W Sommers