Methanol from coal and natural gas

In a process for producing methanol which comprises converting a methane-rich gas by steam reforming into a mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides and reacting said mixture in a first methanol plant which produces a methanol stream and a purge gas stream, the improvement to produce a total capacity of methanol between 1.45 and 1.75 of the design capacity of said first methanol plant comprising:

• (a) converting by high temperature partial oxidation using essentially pure oxygen a heavy carbonaceous material into a raw gas comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, other acid gases and hydrocarbons;
• (b) removing said other acid gases and trace elements of sulfur to produce a clean syn-gas;
• and
• (c) reacting said purge gas and said clean syn-gas in a second methanol plant to produce a second methanol stream.