Purification of alcohols prior to their use in the presence of an acid catalyst

A process for the purification of an alcohol comprising:

• (1) providing a reaction zone (C) comprising an acid type catalyst;
• (2) providing a reaction zone (B) comprising an adsorbent material and/or a combination of sorbent materials;
• (3) providing an alcohol stream comprising impurities;
• (4) introducing the alcohol stream of (3) into the reaction zone (B) and bringing said alcohol stream into contact with the adsorbent material and/or combination of sorbent materials at conditions effective to reduce the amount of impurities having an adverse effect on the acid type catalyst of the reaction zone (C);
• (5) recovering from step (4) an alcohol stream and introducing it into the reaction zone (C);
• (6) introducing one or more reactants (R) into the reaction zone (C);
• (7) operating said reaction zone (C) at conditions effective to recover a valuable effluent;
• wherein, before step (4), the alcohol stream of step (3) is introduced into a reaction zone (A) comprising a hydrogenation catalyst and is brought into contact with said hydrogenation catalyst, in the presence of hydrogen, at conditions effective to:
• (i) to convert a portion of or the whole of the impurities to modified impurities capable to be retained on the acidic adsorbent material and/or a combination of sorbent materials of the reaction zone (B);
• (ii) to convert a portion of or the whole of the impurities to modified impurities having no adverse effect on the acid type catalyst of the reaction zone (C);
• or
• both (i) and (ii).