Abstract: The photocatalytic reaction of p-xylene to terephthalic acid can become a cheap, simple and environmentally friendly method for the large-scale production of an important raw material for the synthesis of polyesters (including PET – polyethylene terephthalate), plasticizers and Kevlar fibers. Therefore, a literature review was conducted on the synthesis of terephthalic acid from p-xylene using homogeneous photocatalysts (ozone, tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT), anthraquinone derivatives) and heterogeneous photocatalysts (hetero-motif molecular junction photocatalysts, organocatalysts). Most of these studies were conducted in a batch reactor at temperatures ranging from 298 to 343 K, at atmospheric pressure. The light sources in these studies were primarily mercury vapor lamps, LED lamps, xenon lamps, and tungsten-bromine lamps emitting radiation at wavelengths of 310 to 1100 nm. The photocatalytic conversion of p-xylene to PTA was primarily carried out in an acetonitrile: water mixture in the presence of an oxidant (O2, air, O3). Among the tested photocatalysts ozone, which is both a photocatalyst and an oxidant (WPTA = 96% for SPTA = 98% and αp-xylene = 98%) and tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) (WPTA = 90%) showed above-average activity. In the available literature data, only two publications were found concerning the study of the activity of p-xylene oxidation to terephthalic acid using heterogeneous photocatalysts.
