Patent ID: 8871985

Claim:
A process for the production of a C 6 -C 15 alcohol mixture comprising the steps of: hydroformylating an olefin mixture comprising at least one branched C 5 -C 14 olefin to form a hydroformylation product comprising aldehydes and formates; feeding the hydroformylation product into a hydrogenation step comprising contacting, in at least one first hydrogenation reactor, at least one catalyst selected from the group consisting of at least one of copper chromite, nickel, sulphided nickel molybdenum, nickel molybdenum, sulphided cobalt molybdenum, cobalt molybdenum, and combinations thereof, at least 1 wt % water, based upon the total weight of the feed, hydrogen, and the hydroformylation product to convert the hydroformylation product to a C 6 -C 15 alcohol mixture; wherein, the hydrogen is supplied from the decomposition of the formates and at least one source external to the at least one first hydrogenation reactor, and wherein at least 5% or greater of the total stoichiometric amount of hydrogen necessary to hydrogenate the aldehydes is supplied from the decomposition of the formates and 100% or less than 100% of the total stoichiometric amount of hydrogen necessary to hydrogenate the aldehydes is supplied from the at least one source external.