The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 28, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 01, 1998
Raymond Lawrence June, Houston, TX (US);
Michael Wayne Potter, Sugar Land, TX (US);
Edward James Simpson, Houston, TX (US);
Charles Lee Edwards, Houston, TX (US);
Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A process to produce terephthalic acid is provided, the process including the steps of: providing a feed stream comprising a dialkyl substituted aromatic and in an organic acid solvent: contacting the feed stream with an oxidant, the oxidant containing at least 50% by volume oxygen and at an oxygen partial pressure of at least 1 psia, at a temperature between about 80.degree. C. and about 130.degree. C., in the presence of a catalyst system comprising zirconium and cobalt, wherein the contacting is done in a stirred tank reactor; removing from the stirred tank reactor a vapor stream comprising the organic acid, water vapor and unreacted oxidant; condensing at least a portion of the organic acid and water from the vapor stream; separating at least a portion of the water from the organic acid back to the stirred tank reactor; returning at least a portion of the condensed organic acid back to the stirred tank reactor; continuously recovering from the stirred tank reactor a product comprising a diacid substituted aromatic; isolating solid crystals of diacid substituted aromatic from the reactor product; and recovering from the solid crystals a diacid substituted aromatic having a purity of preferably at least 97% by weight.