Oxo process

Claim 1

IN AN OXO PROCESS IN WHICH OLEFINIC HYDROCARBONS, HAVING FROM 3 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE ARE FORMYLATED WITH HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF A VOLATILE COBALT CARBONYL CATALYST COMPOUND THAT IS DERIVED FROM A NON-VOLATILE POTENTIAL COBALT CATALYST COMPOUND UNDER REACTION CONDITIONS, AND HYDROGENTING THE FORMYLATION PRODUCT TO PRODUCE A MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL HAVING ONE MORE CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE THAN THE REACTANT OLEFIN, THE COMBINATION OF STEPS CONSISTING OF: REMOVING VAPOROUS PRODUCT FROM THE FORMYLATION ZONE, CONDENSING LIQUIDS CONTAINING ALDEHYDES AND DISSOLVED COBALT CARBONYL COMPOUND THEREFROM AND RECYCLING UNCONDENSED GASES TO THE FORMYLATION STEP; STEAM DISTILLING WITH SATURATED STEAM THE CONDENSED LIQUIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER CONTAINNG AN ACIDIC COMPONENT AT A RATE PREVENTING SUBSTANTIAL ACCUMULATION IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE OF STEAMDISTILLABLE COMPONENTS THEREOF, SIMULTANEOUSLY DECOMPOSING THE SAID DISSOLVED COBALT CARBONYL COMPOUND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ACIDIC WATER, EFFECTING REACTION BETWEEN COBALT AND THE SAID ACIDIC COMPONENT, AND THEREBY EFFECTING TRANSFER OF COBALT TO A NON-VOLATILE COBALT COMPOUND IN SOLUTION IN THE SAID WATER; INTRODUCING INTO THE FORMYLATION ZONE POTENTIAL COBALT CATALYST COMPOUND OF WHICH AT LEAST THE COBALT IS THAT RECOVERED BY THE SAID TRANSFER; AND HYDROGENATING AT LEAST A FRACTION OF THE STEAM DISTILLATE IN THE PRESENCE OF A COBALT HYDROGENATION CATALYST.