NOVELTY - A system comprises a reactor (100) having methane-containing gas inputs (I, II), an oxygen-containing gas input, and an output for reactor product stream. Methane-containing gas supplies (I, II) are respectively coupled to methane-containing gas inputs (I, II), and an oxygen-containing gas supply is coupled to the oxygen-containing gas input. The system has an absorbent comprising recycled reactor process components, and a scrubber (116) configured to use the absorbent to remove and recycle unreacted methane gas.    USE - For producing methanol (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The system is usable with minimal processing of gas and gas-condensate deposits, and also at any gas consumer, such as power plants, gas distributing and gas reducing stations, chemical production facilities, etc., or small methane producers, such as coal mines, oil production (flares), landfills, and farms. The system obtains a desirably high selectivity of oxygenates and avoids deeper oxidation states of the incoming alkane.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A system comprises a reactor having methane-containing gas inputs (I, II), an oxygen-containing gas input, and an output for reactor product stream. The reactor is configured to facilitate a direct partial oxidation reaction of heated methane-containing gas by oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas to form the reactor product stream. Methane-containing gas supply (I) is coupled to methane-containing gas input (I), methane-containing gas supply (II) is coupled to methane-containing gas input (II), and an oxygen-containing gas supply is coupled to the oxygen-containing gas input. The system is provided with an absorbent comprising recycled reactor process components, and a scrubber configured to use the absorbent to remove and recycle unreacted methane gas from the reactor product stream for use in the methane-containing gas input(s).    INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) method for recycling unreacted methane gas from a reaction product gas stream of a direct partial oxidation methane reactor, which involves feeding the reaction product gas stream into a scrubber, passing an absorbent through the scrubber, removing unreacted methane gas from the product gas stream using the absorbent, recycling the unreacted methane gas for use in the reactor, and recycling the absorbent for reuse in the scrubber, where the absorbent comprises process components of the product gas stream; and    (2) method for producing methanol using a direct partial oxidation reactor, which involves feeding the reactor with a methane-containing gas and an oxygen containing gas, carrying out the partial oxidation reaction of methane to form a product gas comprising a mixture of methanol and formaldehyde, directing the product gas to a scrubber, scrubbing the product gas using an absorbent comprising process components of the product gas, removing methanol, water, carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde from the product gas to form a spent solvent, recycling unreacted methane-containing gas from the product gas to the reactor, and recycling the spent solvent for re-introduction into the scrubber as the absorbent.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows the schematic drawing of the methanol-producing system.    Reactor (100)    Heat exchanger (114)    Scrubber (116)    Formaldehyde rectifier (132)    Methanol rectifier (134)