# US 8,541,616 B2 · Addition of a methyl hydrogen terephthalate reactor to a dimethyl terephthalate process

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,541,616 B2
- Document ID: US8541616B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/691,136
- Filed: 2010-01-21
- Published: 2010-08-19
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2009-02-13
- Assignees: Eastman Chemical Company
- Applicants: Laura Ellen Bustamante; William Lee Cook; Brent Alan Tennant; Ashfaq Shaikh; Joseph Luther Parker; Richard Andrew Virost; Michael Visneski
- Inventors: Laura Ellen Bustamante; William Lee Cook; Brent Alan Tennant; Ashfaq Shaikh; Joseph Luther Parker; Richard Andrew Virost; Michael Visneski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541616B2

## CPC

- C07C 67/08: by reacting carboxylic acids or symmetrical anhydrides with the hydroxy or O-metal group of organic compounds
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS

## Abstract

An MHT reactor is added to a DMT process to eliminate the majority of the DMT/MHT recycle back to the DMT reactor, allowing for an increase in capacity to the DMT reactors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process to produce a DMT rich stream comprising:
(a) contacting a DMT reactor feed stream in a DMT reactor zone to form a DMT composition,
(b) contacting said DMT composition in a methanol removal zone to form a crude DMT stream,
(c) contacting said crude DMT stream in a xylene removal zone to form a crude DMT product,
(d) contacting said crude DMT product in a product refining zone to form an MHT rich stream,
(e) contacting in a separate MHT reactor zone said MHT rich stream comprising MHT and DMT with methanol to produce said DMT rich stream and a methanol rich stream.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein said MHT reactor is a bubble column.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein said MHT rich stream comprises MHT in a range from about 10% by weight to about 50% by weight.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein said MHT rich stream comprises MHT in a range from about 5% by weight to about 50% by weight.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The process according to claim 2 wherein said bubble column comprises trays ranging from 2 to 12 trays.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The process according to claim 5 wherein said bubble column comprises at least one sieve tray.