| abstract |
Terephthalic acid with good qualities is continuously produced by liquid phase oxidation of paraxylene with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in acetic acid as a solvent in the presence of a catalyst containing cobalt, manganese, and bromine in a low percent acetic acid combustion by supplying 2 to 50 parts by weight of water per 100 parts by weight of the paraxylene into a vertical cylindrical reactor with a vertical stirrer having at least one stirring blade means, at a level in the zone between (1) the level by 0.5 times the inner diameter of the reactor higher than the level of upper end of lowest stirring blade means, and (2) the level by 0.03 times the inner diameter of the reactor higher than the bottom of the reactor, supplying a feed solution comprising the paraxylene, the acetic acid and the catalyst, and the molecular oxygen-containing gas to the level in the said zone, while maintaining a water concentration of reaction solution at 5 to 20% by weight and a reaction temperature of 195 DEG to 225 DEG C. |