Patent ID: 8288595

Claim:
A process for the production of a C 6 -C 15 alcohol mixture comprising the steps of: a. hydroformylating an olefin mixture comprising a branched C 5 -C 14 olefin to form a hydroformylation product comprising aldehydes and formate esters, whereby the hydroformylation product has a net cold sap number from 15 to 38 mg KOH/g, and 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; 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% water by weight, based on the liquid hydrogenation feed, and wherein the temperature in the first hydrogenation reactor is at most 200Â° C.