Abstract: A process is described for producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen which comprises contacting methanol vapor at a temperature of 200.degree. to 500.degree. C. with an indirectly heated zinc containing catalyst while said methanol vapor is at a pressure in a range of 2 to 50 bars, whereby to obtain an effluent gas in which the components of carbon monoxide and hydrogen constitute at least 90% by volume of said gas, removing at least a part of the impurities from said effluent gas and separating said effluent gas into its carbon monoxide and hydrogen components by adsorption. The effluent gas can be separated into its carbon monoxide and hydrogen components by use of a plurality of adsorbers containing zeolite-type molecular sieve material where the zeolite is substantially permeable to hydrogen but sorbs carbon monoxide.

Abstract: Carbon monoxide is produced from light hydrocarbons having an average C number not greater than 15 by catalytic cracking with water vapor in two cracking stages followed by separation of the carbon monoxide from the product gas employing the following steps:I. mixing the hydrocarbon feedstock with 0.02-0.1 standard cubic meter hydrogen per kilogram;Ii. subjecting this mixture to hot desulfurization;Iii. mixing the desulfurized mixture with superheated process steam in a ratio of 1.1-1.7 moles per mole of carbon in the feedstock;Iv. converting the resulting mixture in contact with nickel catalysts in a first cracking stage at temperatures of 300.degree.-500.degree. C. and thereafter, after a partial pressure relief, in a second stage at temperatures above 825.degree. C.; andV.