Process for preparing an alcohol from hydrocarbons

A process for preparing a target alcohol, wherein the process comprises the following steps:

• a) preparing an ester by carbonylating a C2 to C16 alkene or isoalkene with carbon monoxide and with an alcohol A, which is a mono- or polyalcohol (two or more OH groups) having from 1 to 50 carbon atoms or is a mixture of two or more mono- and/or poly alcohols and which is used in a molar ratio to the C2 to C16 alkene or isoalkene (alcohol:C2 to C16 alkene or isoalkene) of from 2 to 20, in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst system comprising at least one metal of groups 8 to 10 of the Periodic Table of the Elements or a compound thereof, a phosphorus-containing ligand and an acid, in a reaction zone to obtain a liquid product mixture, wherein the carbon monoxide is directly supplied or by a carbon monoxide-containing gas selected from the group consisting of synthesis gas, water gas, and generator gas;
• b) performing a membrane separation to separate the homogeneous catalyst system from the liquid product mixture, which enriches the homogeneous catalyst system and additionally unconverted hydrocarbon and/or unconverted alcohol A in the retentate and enriches the ester formed in step a) in the permeate, wherein the membrane material used is an organic solvent nanofiltration membrane material which is acid-stable, stable in the presence of the acid of the catalyst system for at least 300 h, and which has at least one separation-active layer, and wherein the retentate is returned to the reaction zone in step a) and the permeate is routed to the subsequent step c);
• c) separating the ester formed in step a) from the permeate in at least one separation process step selected from the group consisting of thermal separation, distillation, extraction, crystallization and membrane separation;
• d) hydrogenating the ester separated in step c) with hydrogen in the presence of the heterogeneous catalyst system in a hydrogenation zone to obtain an alcohol mixture comprising at least the target alcohol, the eliminated alcohol A and unconverted esters;
• and
• e) separating the target alcohol formed in step d) in at least one separation process step selected from thermal separation, distillation, extraction, crystallization, and membrane separation.