Patent ID: 7910782

Claim:
A process for the recovery of cobalt from the product of a continuous cobalt catalysed hydroformylation reaction, which recovery process comprises the steps of: (i) by a treatment of the hydroformylation product with dilute base forming a carbonylate, comprising a water soluble salt of a carbonyl of the cobalt hydroformylation catalyst, (ii) acidifying the carbonylate by combining said carbonylate with an aqueous sulfuric acid solution to form a carbonylate/acid mixture, and (iii) recovering hydrocobalt carbonyl from the acidified carbonylate, thereby producing a dilute acid effluent, wherein the aqueous sulfuric acid solution used for acidifying the carbonylate has a sulfuric acid concentration of less than 16 wt % and the acidification step is performed to provide a sulfuric acid concentration in the carbonylate/acid mixture, before any sulfuric acid consuming reaction, of from 2% to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the mixture.