Iron removal from aldehyde synthesis process

Claim 1

IN A CARBONYLATION PROCESS WHEREIN CARBON COMPOUNDS CONTAINING OLEFINIC DOUBLE BONDS ARE CONTACTED IN AN INITIAL REACTION ZONE WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A COBALT CARBONYLATION CATALYST UNDER CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE MORE CARBON ATOM THAN SAID OLEFINIC COMPOUNDS, AND WHEREIN COBALT AND IRON CARBONYLS ARE DISSOLVED IN SAID REACTION PRODUCTS, AND THE SOLUTION COMPRISING SAID REACTION PRODUCTS AND DISSOLVED CARBONYLS IS TRANSFERRED TO A CATALYST REMOVAL ZONE WHEREIN THE BULK OF THE CARBONYLS ARE DECOMPOSED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES CONDUCIVE TO THE DECOMPOSITION OF COBALT CARBONYL IN SAID CATALYST REMOVAL ZONE, AND WHEREIN A LIQUID EFFLUENT COMPRISING SAID OXYGENATED PRODUCTS AS WELL AS UNDECOMPOSED IRON CARBONYL AND DISPERSED FINELY DIVIDED COBALT IS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID LAST-NAMED ZONE AND PASSED TO A HYDROGENATION ZONE, THE STEP OF REMOVING DISSOLVED IRON COMPOUNDS AND DISPERSED SOLID FROM SAID EFFLUENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE LATTER WITH A HIGHLY IONIZED ALKALINE TREATING AGENT IN A TREATING ZONE THE TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM ROOM TEMPERATURE TO THE BOILING OINT OF SAID EFFLUENT WHEREBY IRON HYDROXIDES ARE PRECIPITATED, AND RECOVERING FROM SAID TREATING ZONE A LIQUID PRODUCT COMPRISING OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF DISSOLVED AND DISPERSED COBALT AND IRON CONTAMINANTS.