Process of producing polycarboxylic acids

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF SEPARATING MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM A CRUDE OXIDATION PRODUCT RESULTING FROM A THERMAL OXIDATION OF CARBONACEOUS MATTER CONTAINING MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND ALSO CONTAINING DARK COLORED HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS, COMPRISINT THE STEPS OF SUBJECTING SAID CRUDE OXIDATION PRODUCT TO AN EXTRACTION TREATMENT WITH AT LEAST ONE POLAR ORGANIC SOLVENT FOR BOTH SAID MONOYCLIC AROMATIC AND SAID HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS SO AS TO CAUSE DISSOLUTION THEREIN OF SAID POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS; TREATING THE THUS FORMED SOLUTION OF SAID MONOCYLIC AROMATIC AND HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS IN SAID POLAR ORGANIC SOLVENT WITH WATER, THUS CAUSING DISSOLUTION OF SAID MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS IN SAID WATER, SAID HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS NOT BEING DISSOLVED IN SAID WATER, THEREBY FORMING A MIXTURE INCLUDING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS; SEPARATING SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM THE REMAINDER OF SAID MIXTURE; AND RECOVERING FROM SAID SEPARATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION SUBSTANTIALLY PURE MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC POLYCARBOXYLIC ACIDS.