TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The gasification agent comprises steam, oxygen and/or air. The first catalyst and/or the second catalyst comprises a copper oxide, zinc oxide and/or an aluminum oxide; an oxide of at least one rare earth element, zirconium, yttrium, chromium, silver, gallium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten and/or titanium; nickel, iron, cobalt, ruthenium, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, and/or oxide the metals; vanadium and/or molybdenum in the form of a free metal, hydroxide, oxide and/or sulfide in combination with at least one salt, hydroxide, oxide or sulfide of at least one metal belonging to Group IA, IIA or IIIB from the Periodic Table; or a graded catalyst. The first and second catalysts are in the form of particulate solids.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The average temperature in the second reaction zone is at least 5 degrees C less than the average temperature in the first reaction zone. The microchannel reactor comprises at least one process microchannel, the first reaction zone and the second reaction zone are in the process microchannel. In the process, where steam is used as a heat exchange fluid in the microchannel reactor during steps (b) and (c), and the carbonaceous material is gasified in the presence of a gasification agent during step (a), the steam from steps (b) and (c) is used as the gasification agent during step (a). In the process, where nitrogen is separated from air in a nitrogen separator prior to step (a) to provide an oxygen enriched air or purified oxygen, and the carbonaceous material is gasified during step (a) in the presence of the oxygen enriched air or purified oxygen. The nitrogen is separated from the air in a microchannel separator using an ionic liquid as an absorbent liquid. The carbonaceous material is pyrolyzed prior to step (a) resulting in the formation of a pyrolytic oil which is gasified during step (a). The synthesis gas formed during step (a) is cooled in at least one heat exchanger prior to step (b). The heat exchangers are microchannel heat exchangers. The synthesis gas contains contaminants and prior to step (b) the contaminants are separated from the synthesis gas using a microchannel separator containing an ionic liquid, temperature swing adsorption or pressure swing adsorption microchannel separator, microchannel separator containing nanofibers or nano-composite film, or a zinc oxide (ZnO) guardbed. The carbonaceous material is gasified in a counter-current fixed bed gasifier, co-current fixed bed gasifier, fluidized bed gasifier, entrained flow gasifier, molten metal reactor, or plasma based gasification system. The carbonaceous material is gasified in the presence of a gasification agent. The carbonaceous material and steam contact molten metal in a molten metal reactor and react to form the synthesis gas. The synthesis gas comprises hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), the ratio of H2 to CO is 0.5-4. The synthesis gas produced in step (a) comprises H2 and CO, and prior to step (b), an additional amount of H2 is added to the synthesis gas. The synthesis gas produced in step (a) further comprises solid particulates which is removed from the synthesis gas prior to step (b). The synthesis gas produced in step (a) further comprises water, at least part of the water is removed from the synthesis gas prior to step (b). The subsequent to step (b) but prior to step (c) the intermediate product composition formed in step (b) flows through an additional reaction zone in the microchannel reactor at an additional reaction temperature in contact with an additional catalyst to form second intermediate product composition comprising synthesis gas and the desired product, the approach to equilibrium for the conversion of the synthesis gas in the additional reaction zone is at least 5%; and exchanging heat between the additional reaction zone and the heat exchanger. The conversion of CO in the first reaction zone is 5-95%, and the conversion of CO in the second reaction zone is 5- 99%. The microchannel reactor comprises at least one process microchannel in thermal contact with at least one heat exchange channel, each heat exchange channel is in thermal contact with at least one process microchannel, at least one manifold for flowing synthesis gas into the process microchannels, at least one manifold for flowing product out of the process microchannels, at least one manifold for flowing a heat exchange fluid into the heat exchange channels, and at least one manifold for flowing the heat exchange fluid out of the heat exchange channels. The microchannel reactors are positioned in a vessel, the vessel is equipped with a manifold for flowing the synthesis gas into the process microchannels, manifold for flowing the product out of the process microchannels, manifold for flowing heat exchange fluid into the heat exchange channels, and manifold for flowing the heat exchange fluid out of the heat exchange channels. The microchannel reactor comprises 100-50000 process microchannels, and the vessel comprises 1-1000 microchannel reactors. The vessel is a pressurized vessel. The process microchannel has an internal height of up to 10 mm, and a length of up to 10 meters. The process microchannels and heat exchange channels are made of a material comprising steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel, copper, alloy of the metals, monel, inconel, brass, quartz, and/or silicon. In the process, where fluid flowing in the process microchannel contacts surface features in the process microchannel, the contacting of the surface features imparting a disruptive flow to the fluid. The heat exchange channel comprises a microchannel. The process microchannels and the heat exchange channels have rectangular cross sections. The microchannel reactor comprises at least one process microchannel, the first catalyst and/or the second catalyst is coated on interior walls of the process microchannels or grown on interior walls of the process microchannels. The first catalyst and/or the second catalyst are supported on a support having a flow-by configuration, flow-through configuration, or serpentine configuration; supported on a support having the configuration of a foam, felt, wad and/or fin; or supported on a support in the form of a fin assembly comprising several parallel spaced fins. The process microchannel have at least one heat transfer wall, the heat flux for heat exchange within the microchannel reactor is 0.01-500 watts per square centimeter of surface area of the heat transfer wall. The pressure in the first reaction zone and/or the second reaction zone is up to 50 atmospheres. The average temperature in the first reaction zone is 150-400 degrees C or 250-850 degrees C. The contact time within the first reaction zone and/or the second reaction zone is up to 2000 milliseconds. The process microchannel has fluid flowing in it in one direction, and the heat exchange channel has fluid flow in a direction that is co-current, counter-current or cross-current to the flow of fluid in the process microchannel. The process microchannel and the length of the heat exchange channel are same. The heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchange zone in thermal contact with the first reaction zone and second heat exchange zone in thermal contact with the second reaction zone, the first heat exchange zone comprising at least one heat exchange channel, the second heat exchange zone comprising at least one heat exchange channel, the first heat exchange zone providing cooling for the first reaction zone, the second heat exchange zone providing cooling for the second reaction zone, the average temperature in the second reaction zone is less than the average temperature in the first reaction zone. The Quality Index Factor for the microchannel reactor is less than 50%. The superficial velocity for fluid flowing in the process microchannel is at least 0.01 m/s; the space velocity for fluid flowing in the process microchannel is at least 1000 hr-1; the pressure drop for fluid flowing in the process microchannel is up to 10 atmospheres per meter; and the Reynolds number for the flow of fluid in the process microchannel is 10-4000. The process microchannels are formed by positioning a waveform between planar sheets. The microchannel reactor further comprises several heat exchange channels in thermal contact with the process microchannels, the heat exchange channels is formed by positioning a waveform between planar sheets. The desired product comprises methanol, the process further involving converting the methanol to at least one olefin. The methanol is converted to at least one olefin in a microchannel reactor in the presence of a silico-alumino-phosphate catalyst. The desired product comprises methane, the process further involving converting the methane to ethane and/or ethylene. The methane is converted to ethane and/or ethylene in a microchannel reactor in the presence of an oxidative coupling catalyst. The product comprises dimethyl ether and carbon dioxide (CO2), the process further involves reacting the CO2 with methane to form mixture of CO and H2. The reaction of CO2 with methane is conducted in a microchannel reactor. The microchannel reactor is constructed of stainless steel with at least one copper or aluminum waveforms is used for forming the channels. In the process, at least part of the desired product is separated from the intermediate product composition subsequent to or during step (b) but prior to step (c). Preferred Components: The carbonaceous material comprises a non-food carbonaceous material, or a food resource (preferably coal, oil, biomass, and/or solid-waste, selected from municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, refuse derived fuel, tires, trash, sewage sludge, animal waste, petroleum coke, trash, garbage, agricultural waste, corn stover, switch grass, wood cuttings, timber, grass clippings, construction demolition materials, plastic material, cotton gin waste, landfill gas, biogas, and/or natural gas). EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.