Conversion of acids to alcohols

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF A C1 TO C30 ORGANIC ACID OR ITS ANHYDRIDE WHEREIN THE ACID IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF UNSUBSTITUTED AND SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACIDS, UNSUBSTITUTED AND SUBSTITUTED AROMATIC CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND AMINO ACIDS AND WHEREIN THE SUBSTITUENT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROXY GROUPS AND HALOGEN ATOMS TO AN ALCOHOL HAVING THE SAME NUMBER OF CARBON ATOMS WHICH COMPRISES CONTRACTING SAID ACID OR ANHYDRIDE WITH A C1 TO C6 ALKANOL AT TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 200 TO 600*F. AND PRESSURES OF ABOUT 200 TO 600 P.S.I.G. IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONTAINING A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A MOLYBDENUM SULFIDE IN A FIRST REACTION STAGE TO PRODUCE AN ESTERIFIED PRODUCT CORRESPONDING TO SAID ORGANIC ACID AND SAID ALKANOL, INTRODUCING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID ESTERIFIED PRODUCT INTO A SECOND REACTON STAGE, CONTACTING SAID ESTERIFIED PRODUCT WITH HYDROGEN IN SAID SECOND STAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONTAINING A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF MOLYBDENUM SULFIDE AT TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 300 TO 600*F. AND PRESSURES OF ABOUT 500 TO 5,000 P.S.I.G. TO PRODUCE AN ALCOHOL PRODUCT-COMPRISING MIXTURE, SEPARATING THE ALCOHOL PRODUCT FROM SUCH MIXTURE AND SEPARATING AND RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID C1 TO C6 ALKANOL CONTAINED IN SAID MIXTURE TO THE FIRST REACTION STAGE.