Catalyst regeneration in oxo alcohol synthesis

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED INTEGRATED PROCESS FOR PREPARING ALCOHOLS FROM OLEFINS HAVING AT LEAST THREE CARBON ATOMS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING OLEFINE, CO, H2 AND A COBALT CARBONYLATION CATALYST IN THE ABSENCE OF EXTRANEOUS WATER TO A CARBONYLATION ZONE, MAINTAINING ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES IN SAID ZONE, WITHDRAWING A COLBALTCONTAMINATED ALDEHYDE PRODUCT FROM SAID ZONE, TRANSFERRING SAID PRODUCT TO A DECOBALTING ZONE, CONTACTING SAID PRODUCT IN SAID ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE NOT ABOVE ABOUT 200*F. WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ORGANIC ACID, WHOSE COBALT SALTS ARE WATER-SOLUBLE, CONVERTING COBALT DISSOLVED IN ALDEHYDE PRODUCT INTO A WATER-SOLUBLE COBALT SALT OF SAID ORGANIC ACID, WITHDRAWING COBALT-DEPLETED ALDEHYDE PRODUCT FROM SAID ZONE, HYDROGENATING SAID ALDEHYDE PRODUCT TO AN ALCOHOL PRODUCT, WITHDRAWING A COBALT-COMPRISING AQUEOUS SOLUTION FROM SAID DECOBALTING ZONE, CONTACTING SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION WITH A PORTION OF SAID ALCOHOL PRODUCT IN THE PRESENCE OF CO AND H2 AT ELEVATED PRESSURES IN AN EXTRACTION ZONE THEREBY CONVERTING SAID WATER-SOLUBLE COBALT INTO ALCOHOL-SOLUBLE COBALT HYDROCARBONYL, AND PASSING THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE TO A SEPARATION ZONE WHEREIN AN AQUEOUS PHASE PARTIALLY DEPLATED IN COBALT IONS SEPARATES FROM AN ALCOHOLIC PHASE CONTAINING COBALT HYDROCARBONYL, RECYCLING SAID AQUEOUS PHASE TO SAID EXTRACTION ZONE UNTIL SUFFICIENTLY DEPLETED IN COBALT IONS AND THEN RECYCLING IT TO SAID DECOBALTING ZONE, AND RECYLING SAID ALCOHOLIC PHASE TO SAID CARBONYLATION ZONE THEREBY AVOIDING THE ADDITION OF EXTRANEOUS WATER TO SAID CARBONYLATION ZONE.