Process for the treatment of a product stream

1. A process for the treatment of a product stream from an autothermal cracking process, said product stream comprising one or more olefins, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and one or more oxygenates, and wherein the oxygenates are present in the product stream prior to treatment at a total concentration in the range 100-5000 parts per million by weight, said process comprising

(A) contacting the product stream with an aqueous stream comprising at least one compound selected from those represented by formulas:

(1) H 2 N—OR 1 , and

(2) H 2 N—NR 2 R 3 ,

where:

R 1 is selected from H and carbon containing substituents,

R 2 is H, and

R 3 is a ketyl group of formula C(O)NR 4 R 5 where R 4 is H or an alkyl and R 5 is H, an alkyl or NH 2 ,

to provide a selective removal of oxygenates in the presence of carbon dioxide, and

(B) subsequently passing the oxygenate treated stream from step (A) to an amine based carbon dioxide removal system to remove the carbon dioxide therein.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 where the compound is of formula (1) and is hydroxylamine or an alkoxyamine.

3. A process as claimed in claim 2 wherein the compound is hydroxylamine.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the compound is of formula (2) and is selected from semicarbazide and carbohydrazide.

5. A process for the production of olefins by autothermal cracking of a hydrocarbon feed, which process comprises contacting said hydrocarbon feed and a molecular oxygen-containing gas with a catalyst capable of supporting combustion beyond the normal fuel rich limit of flammability to produce a product stream comprising one or more olefins, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and one or more oxygenates, and subsequently treating the product stream using the process as claimed in claim 1 to remove oxygenates and carbon dioxide therefrom.