OXIDATION OF P-XYLENE AND P-TOLUIC ACID METHYL ESTER WITH OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for oxidation, with the aid of an oxygen- containing gas, of p-xylene(pX) and p-toluic acid methyl ester (pTE) by the Witten-Hercules method (DMT method), which produces dimethyl terephthalate in at least two partial stages in the presence of a catalyst. SOLUTION: This method oxidizes part of pX in at least one partial stage, which contains a large quantity of pX, in the presence of pTE accounting for 5 to 30wt.% of the oxidized mixture in the partial stage with the aid of the oxidative component from the succeeding stage(s) of the DMT process, and/or oxidizes pTE in at least one another partial stage, which contains a large quantity of pTE, in the presence of pX accounting for 2 to 30wt.% of the total quantity of pTE and p-toluic acid, thus effecting higher yield of the objective DMT.