Process for the recovery of methanol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR OBTAINING METHANOL WHICH COMPRISES OXIDIZING A GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHANE, PROPANE AND BUTANE WITH A GAS CONTAINING MOLECULAR OXYGEN AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 700* TO ABOUT 900* F., TO OBTAIN AN OXYGENATED MIXTURE CONTAINING ESSENTIALLY FORMALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, METHANOL, HIGHER ALCOHOLS, ACETONE, ACETALS AND ETHYLENE AND PROPYLENE OXIDES, REMOVING FORMALDEHYDE BY EXTRACTION WITH WATER AND A PORTION OF THE ACETALDEHYDE BY FRACTIONATION FFROM THE OXYGENATED MIXTURE AND OBTAINING AN OXYGENATED PRODUCT CONTAINING IN EXCESS OF ABOUT FIVE PERCENT BY WEIGHT THEREOF OF CARBONYL-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS CONSISTING OF ACETALDEHYDE, ACETONE AND ACETALS, DIRECTLY SUBJECTING SAID LATTER OXYGENATED PRODUCT TO HYDROGENATION WITH HYDROGEN IN THE PESENCE OF A HYDROGENATION CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 300* TO ABOUT 350*F. TO OBTAIN A HYDROGENATION PRODUCT CONTAINING FROM ABOUT ONE TO ABOUT THREE PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF CARBONYL-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS, DISTILLING FROM SAID HYDROGENATION PRODUCT AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 160* TO ABOUT 170*F. A PRODUCT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF METHANOL AND CARBONYL-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS, EXTRACTING SAID METHANOL PRODUCT WITH WATER CONTAINING A BASIC REAGENT SELCTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE AND CALCIUM HYDROXUDE AND THEREAFTER RECOVERING BY DISTILLATION AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 147* TO ABOUT 150*F. METHANOL FROM SAID EXTRACT.