Patent ID: 8476476

Claim:
A process for producing a C 6 -C 15 oxygenate by hydroformylating a C 5 -C 14 olefin feed in the presence of a hydroformylation catalyst comprising a first metal that is cobalt, to form an organic cobalt-containing hydroformylation reaction product ( 1 ), which process comprises a demetalling step for removing cobalt from the reaction product ( 1 ) thereby producing a cobalt-containing aqueous product ( 2 ) and an organic cobalt-depleted reaction product ( 3 ), and in which process a gas stream ( 4 ) containing volatile cobalt carbonyl is separated from the reaction product ( 1 ) and the gas stream ( 4 ) is treated with an absorption liquid for absorbing at least part of the volatile cobalt carbonyl contained in the gas, thereby forming a cobalt-containing absorption liquid, characterised in that the cobalt-containing absorption liquid is recycled to the demetalling step.