Process for the conversion of hydrocarbons to oxygenates

Process for the conversion of a hydrocarbon feedstock into alcohol(s), wherein the hydrocarbons are first converted into syngas, which is subsequently converted into alcohols, comprising the following consecutive steps:

• 1) converting a hydrocarbon feedstock, in a steam reformer, into a stream A′, comprising essentially of a mixture of carbon oxide(s), hydrogen and water,
• 2) feeding at least part of stream A′, together with hydrocarbon and oxygen feedstocks, into an auto-thermal reformer to produce a stream A,
• 3) converting at least part of stream A, in the presence of a catalyst in an oxygenate synthesis reactor under a temperature comprised between 150 and 400° C. and a pressure of 20 to 200 bar, into an alcohols stream B, comprising essentially methanol, ethanol, propanol(s), H2, C1-C3 alkanes, CO, CO2 and water,
• 4) separating stream B, into a stream C containing the CO, C1-C3 alkanes, H2 and methanol;
• a stream D containing the CO2;
• and recovering a stream B containing the ethanol, propanol(s) and water,
• 5) treating a fraction of stream C in order to separate said fraction into a stream comprising CO, and a stream comprising H2 and the C1-C3 alkanes,
• 6) reintroducing at least part of stream C together with the stream comprising CO from step 5 into the oxygenate synthesis reactor of step 2, and
• 7) reintroducing at least part of stream D into the steam reformer of step 1.