Method for methanol synthesis

A process for methanol production from synthesis gas, said process comprising the following steps:

• providing a make-up gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, in which the content of carbon dioxide is less than 0.1 mole %,
• mixing the make-up gas with a hydrogen-rich recycle gas and passing the gas mixture to a methanol synthesis reactor, optionally via a sulfur guard, and
• subjecting the effluent from the synthesis reactor to a separation step, thereby providing crude methanol and the hydrogen-rich recycle gas,
• wherein the customary addition of carbon dioxide to the make-up gas is replaced by addition of water to the make-up gas in an amount to obtain a water content of 0.1 to 5 mole % in the make-up gas which is mixed with the hydrogen-rich recycle gas and passed to the methanol synthesis reactor.