Abstract: A process for producing an aldehyde is disclosed. The process comprises: hydroformylating an olefin to form the aldehyde using a hydroformylation catalyst; recovering an effluent stream comprising the aldehyde, hydrogen and the hydroformylation catalyst; passing the effluent stream to a stripper; contacting the effluent stream with a strip gas in the stripper to produce a stripped effluent stream having a lower hydrogen concentration than the effluent stream; and recovering the stripped effluent stream.

Abstract: A process for carrying out a reaction in a reaction column, said process comprising: providing a first reactant to the reaction column in the liquid phase; contacting said first reactant with an excess of a second reactant such that reaction takes place within the reaction column to form a low boiling product and a high boiling product, at least a portion of said second reactant being provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase; recovering an overhead stream from at, or near, the top of the reaction column, said overhead stream comprising unreacted second reactant and the low boiling product; and recovering a bottoms stream from at, or near, the bottom of the reaction column comprising the high boiling product; wherein at least a portion of the heat required to vaporise the second reactant provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase is provided by heat exchange in a heat exchanger with a hot stream generated within the process other than a hot stream generated within the reaction column.

Abstract: A process for carrying out a reaction in a reaction column, said process comprising: providing a first reactant to the reaction column in the liquid phase; contacting said first reactant with an excess of a second reactant such that reaction takes place within the reaction column to form a low boiling product and a high boiling product, at least a portion of said second reactant being provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase; recovering an overhead stream from at, or near, the top of the reaction column, said overhead stream comprising unreacted second reactant and the low boiling product; and recovering a bottoms stream from at, or near, the bottom of the reaction column comprising the high boiling product; wherein at least a portion of the heat required to vaporise the second reactant provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase is provided by heat exchange in a heat exchanger with a hot stream generated within the process other than a hot stream generated within the reaction column.

Abstract: In a process and apparatus for the production of carboxylic acid esters, a liquid carboxylic acid stream is fed to an upper section of a reaction zone maintained under esterification conditions. An alcohol vapour stream is fed to a lower section of the reaction zone; allowing the carboxylic acid stream to pass in countercurrent to the alcohol stream to form a liquid product stream of product ester. A refiner stream is withdrawn from at or near the top of the reaction zone and includes unreacted alcohol, water and ether by-product. The refiner stream is passed to a refining zone and treated to reduce the water content thereof to form an ether-containing stream having a water content that is lower than that of the upper stream removed from the reaction zone. This ether-containing stream is recycled to the reaction zone.