Production of methanol

In a method of producing methanol from a methane-containing gas by (a) steam reforming said gas at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure in a reaction vessel and in the presence of a catalyst to form a reformate containing hydrogen, oxides of carbon and unreacted methane and (b) subjecting a reaction stream comprising said reformate to conditions of elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure for the formation of methanol by partial reaction of the oxides of carbon with the hydrogen in said reaction stream, the improvement comprising (c) separating the product of step (b) above into a methanol-containing stream and a recycle stream comprising unreacted hydrogen, unreacted oxides of carbon and methane;

• (d) recycling a first part of said recycle stream, which first part contains hydrogen and oxides of carbon, to step (b);
• (e) recycling a second part of said recycle stream, which second part contains methane, to step(a);
• (f) immersing, at least partially and for deriving the heat for the steam reforming step, said reaction vessel in a fluidized bed of finely divided solid which is heated at least in part by the combustion of a solid fossil based fuel;
• and (g) incorporating into said reaction stream for step (b) carbon dioxide provided from flue gas formed by the combustion of said solid, fossil based fuel.