US Patent 7652173 Production of detergent range alcohols

This invention relates to a process for the production of alcohols and/or aldehydes. A hydrocarbon feed stream containing paraffins and olefins, typically in which more than 5% by volume of olefin molecules in the hydrocarbon feed stream have a total number of carbon atoms which is different from the total number of carbon atoms of the most abundant two (preferably three) carbon numbers of olefins (by carbon number) in the hydrocarbon stream, is subjected to a hydroformylation reaction in which olefins are converted to alcohols and/or aldehydes. Paraffins in the hydroformylation product are then separated from alcohols and/or aldehydes by azeotropic distillation in an azeotropic distillation column. The invention also relates to a method for separating alcohols/aldehydes from paraffins in a hydrocarbon feed stream in an azeotropic distillation column using a mid-boiling polar entrainer.