Patent ID: 7388034

Claim:
A process for producing methanol from crude glycerol, which method comprises: i) introducing crude glycerol, an effective amount of superheated steam, and an effective amount of oxygen into a reaction zone where the resulting mixture is heated to a temperature of about 1500° F. to about 1900° F. and at pressures from about 200 psig to about 600 psig, thereby resulting in a synthesis gas product stream comprised predominantly of H 2 and CO with minor amounts of CO 2 , and having a temperature substantially that of the reaction zone; ii) cooling said synthesis gas product stream to a temperature of about 360° F. to about 80° F.; iii) pressuring the cooled synthesis gas product stream to a pressure of about 500 psig to about 1500 psig thereby resulting in a pressurized cooled synthesis gas product stream; iv) introducing said pressurized cooled synthesis gas into a methanol synthesis reaction zone along with an effective amount of methanol synthesis catalyst, which methanol synthesis reaction zone is maintained at a temperature from about 300° F. to about 570° F. and pressures from about 500 psig to about 1500 psig, thereby resulting in a methanol synthesis product stream comprised of methanol, water and unreacted syngas tail gas; v) conducting the methanol synthesis product stream to a first separation zone wherein a tail gas product stream is separated from a liquid product stream, which liquid product stream is comprised of a mixture of methanol and water; vi) conducting said mixture of methanol and water to a second separation zone wherein substantially all the methanol is separated from the water; vii) separately collecting the methanol and water.