Patent ID: 8143459
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
1. A process for the production of a C6-C15 alcohol mixture comprising the steps of: a. hydroformylating an olefin mixture comprising a branched C5-C14 olefin to form a hydroformylation product comprising aldehydes and formate esters, whereby the hydroformylation product has a net cold sap number in the range of 15 to 38 mg KOH/g; b. converting the aldehydes and formate esters to alcohols in a hydrogenation step comprising at least one first hydrogenation reactor comprising a fixed bed of a heterogeneous sulphided bimetallic catalyst, optionally followed by at least one second hydrogenation reactor connected downstream of the first hydrogenation reactor; and c. wherein the feed to the hydrogenation step (b) is a liquid comprising at least a portion of the aldehydes and formate esters formed in step (a) and at least 2 wt % water, based on the liquid hydrogenation feed, and wherein the temperature in the first hydrogenation reactor is at most 200° C.; wherein the C6-C15 alcohol mixture comprises at most 300 ppm by weight of methyl esters of C6-C15 carboxylic acids.