摘要 |
A process for the production of terephthalic acid comprising: a. discharging from an oxidation reactor a crude stream comprising crude terephthalic acid solids, catalyst, impurities, and solvent, and b. without adding a fresh feed of solvent to said crude stream, separating a portion of solvent, catalyst, and at least one impurity from said crude stream to form: bi) a mother liquor composition comprising said separated solvent, catalyst, and said at least one impurity and bii) a dewatered crude terephthalic acid composition comprising a remaining portion of solvent, catalyst, impurities, and an enriched concentration of crude terephthalic acid solids relative to the solids content in the crude stream. The process has the advantage of removing a higher concentration of impurities and/or catalyst in the mother liquor stream, and/or feeding a mother liquor stream to an impurity removal and/or catalyst recovery process at a reduced flow rate, thereby reducing the size of equipment needed in such processes.
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