Disclosed are processes for industrially advantageously producing at a
good yield respectively, a hydrogenated aromatic polycarboxylic acid and an acid
anhydride thereof each having a high purity. The present invention provides processes
for producing a hydrogenated aromatic polycarboxylic acid by (1) hydrogenating
an aromatic polycarboxylic acid at a hydrogen partial pressure of 1 MPa or more
by a batch system in the presence of a catalyst containing rhodium and palladium
in a proportion of 0.5 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the aromatic
polycarboxylic acid and by (2) feeding an aromatic polycarboxylic acid to a filling
bed of a catalyst containing rhodium and palladium at a WHSV of 1 to 100 h-;1
to hydrogenate it at a hydrogen partial pressure of 1 MPa or more by a continuous
flow system, and a process for producing a hydrogenated aromatic polycarboxylic
anhydride by subjecting the hydrogenated aromatic polycarboxylic acid obtained
by the processes described above to dehydration reaction with acetic anhydride
of 0.64 to 5.7 times mole based on a carboxyl group of the hydrogenated aromatic
polycarboxylic acid.
