Patent ID: 8877963

Claim:
A process for producing acetic acid, comprising the steps of: (a) reacting a carbon monoxide feed comprising: (i) less than 99.5 mol % carbon monoxide; and (ii) at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative in a first reactor under conditions effective to produce a crude acetic acid product; (b) purging from the first reactor a carbon monoxide purge stream comprising a first amount of residual carbon monoxide and one or more impurities, the first amount being greater than 20 mol %; (c) separating the crude acetic acid product into at least one derivative stream, at least one of the at least one derivative stream comprising a second amount of residual carbon monoxide; and (d) reacting at least a portion of the second amount of residual carbon monoxide and at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative in a second reactor under conditions effective to produce additional acetic acid.