Methyl alcohol process

A process for the production of methyl alcohol from methane comprising the following steps operated in tandem;

• first, subjecting perchloroethylene to oxychlorination with hydrogen chloride and oxygen in the presence of an oxychlorination catalyst to give reaction products consisting essentially of hexachloroethane and water;
• second, isolating said hexachloroethane from the reaction products of the first step and reacting it with methane feedstock in the vapor phase to produce predominantly methyl chloride, perchloroethylene and hydrogen chloride, separating said perchloroethylene and hydrogen chloride from the reaction products and recycling the perchloroethylene and hydrogen chloride thus separated to the first step;
• and
• third, subjecting the methyl chloride from the second step to hydrolysis with water to produce methyl alcohol and hydrogen chloride, separating said methyl alcohol and hydrogen chloride from the reaction products, and recycling the hydrogen chloride to the first step.