Methanol synthesis process

A methanol synthesis process comprising reacting a methanol synthesis gas composition comprising H.sub.2 and at least one of CO and CO.sub.2 in the presence of a methanol synthesis catalyst, wherein the methanol synthesis catalyst comprises 50 to 70 atomic % copper, 20 to 45 atomic % zinc, 3 to 12 atomic % aluminum and 0.5 to 3 atomic % boron and is a catalyst produced by drying and sintering a catalyst precursor, said catalyst precursor is produced from a copper compound, a zinc compound, an aluminum compound and a boron compound, by

• (a) precipitating from an aqueous reaction mixture comprising a copper sulfate which is recovered from a copper etching waste solution mother liquor, the copper sulfate comprising up to 10% by weight of said mother liquor, with a precipitant, said precipitant being in an amount of 1-fold to 2-fold equivalent of the copper sulfate, said precipitating being carried out in the presence of the boron compound, the boron compound being a water soluble boron compound, and mixing therewith the zinc compound, without separation, to form a precipitate in said reaction mixture,
• (b) filtering said reaction mixture from step (a) to form a cake,
• (c) washing said cake from step (b) with an aqueous alkali solution in a concentration of 0.01 to 0.5 weight % and then washing with water,
• (d) adding said aluminum compound to said washed cake of step (c),
• (e) kneading the resulting mixture form step (d) and
• (f) drying the resulting kneaded mixture from step (e).