Method of producing saturated C3-C20-alcohols

A process for the preparation of saturated alcohols in which a liquid hydrogenation feed comprising at least one aldehyde selected from propanal, n-butanal, isobutyraldehyde, hexanal, ethylhexanal, ethylhexenal, nonenal, nonanal, decanal, decenal and the hydroformylation products of trimeric propylene, tetrameric propylene, dimeric butene or trimeric butene, is passed over a bed of a hydrogenation catalyst in the presence of a hydrogen-containing gas, which comprises adding to the hydrogenation feed an amount, homogeneously soluble therein, of a salt-like base [M+]n [An−], in which [M+] is an alkali metal ion or the equivalent of an alkali earth metal ion;

• [An−] is an anion of an acid having a pKs value of greater than 2, and n is the valency of the anion.