OPTIMIZED LIQUID-PHASE OXIDATION IN A BUBBLE COLUMN REACTOR

• Main Authors: DE VREEDE, MARCEL, STRASSER, WAYNE, SCOTT, PARTIN, LEE, REYNOLDS, WONDERS, ALAN, GEORGE, JENKINS, HOWARD WOOD, JR
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 11.01.2012
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.