Patent ID: 7888529

Claim:
A process comprising contacting a cooled carboxylic acid composition produced in a terephthalic acid production process, a wash feed comprising water and/or acetic acid; and an enrichment feed in a catalyst removal zone to form a post catalyst removal composition, and a catalyst rich liquor comprising cobalt, acetic acid and water; wherein said post catalyst removal composition has a catalyst composition of less than 500 ppm; wherein the residence time of said catalyst removal zone is less than 10 seconds; wherein said cooled carboxylic acid composition comprises IPA (isophthalic acid) in an amount ranging from 50 ppm to about 5000 ppm by weight on a dry solid basis comprises; wherein said enrichment feed comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, benzene-tricarboxylic acid isomers, hydroxybenzoic acid isomers, hydroxymethylbenzoic acid isomers, dicarboxybiphenyl isomers, dicarboxystilbene isomers, tricarboxybiphenyl isomers, tricarboxybenzophenone isomers, dicarboxybenzophenone isomers, dicarboxybenzil isomers, form-acet-hydroxybenzoic acid isomers, acet-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid isomers, and phthaldehyde isomers.