Process for the manufacture of methanol in combination with steam reforming of light hydrocarbons

Claim 1

Process for the production of methanol which comprises: (a) reacting a mixture of steam, carbon dioxide and light hydrocarbons at a pressure from 20-30 bar in a reforming zone heated by the oxidation of carbonaceous fuel to obtain steam reformate containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a molar ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide in the range from 2.8 to 4.5; (b) passing said steam reformate to a carbon dioxide separation zone to obtain a carbon dioxide steam and a treated stream reformate stream having substantially less carbon dioxide than said feed to step (b); (c) recycling at least part of said carbon dioxide stream from step (b) as feed to step (a); (d) reacting said treated stream reformate from step (b) in a single pass through a reaction zone at a temperature in the range from 70°-140° C. and a pressure from 15-25 bar in the presence of a catalyst system resulting from combining (1) a nickel salt; (2) an alcoholate of an alkali or an alkaline earth metal, and at least one of the following components: (3) a hydride of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, or (4) an alcohol or an in-situ alcohol providing agent to obtain a reaction product containing methanol formed in the liquid phase, carbon monoxide and a mixture of other gases; (e) partially condensing said reaction product from step (d) to obtain a methanol product stream and an uncondensed off-gas stream; and (f) passing said uncondensed off-gas stream as fuel to heat the reforming zone of step (a).