Patent ID: 8658820

Claim:
A process for producing an acid, said process comprising the steps of: a) catalytically oxidizing a liquid phase aromatic acid precursor that is selected from the group consisting of toluene, p-xylene, m-xylene, mesitylene and 2,6-dimethyl naphthalene in the presence of a gaseous oxygen source using a catalyst containing metals belonging to groups VIII, VIIB and IVB in the presence of a organic acid solvent, in an oxidation reactor; b) separating a finished product that is an aromatic acid; c) purging said solvent and reduced catalyst; d) recovering at least a portion of the reduced catalyst; e) recharging said at least a portion of the reduced catalyst over a solid recharging catalyst bed containing metals belonging to groups VIII, VIIB and IVB; f) oxidizing the portion of the reduced catalyst by exchanging the reduced form of the metal in the reduced catalyst with the metal in the immobilized catalyst; and, g) feeding a reactivated catalyst to said oxidation reactor.