NOVELTY - The process for production of fuel e.g. hydrogen from industrial or domestic refuse, comprises heating the refuse that has a calorific value to chemically decompose it to produce off gas that comprises carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, contacting the off gas with incandescent carbon-based char in the presence of water in the form of steam and with oxygen to produce water gas comprising hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, carrying out a gas-cleaning procedure on water gas, and catalytically converting the cleaned water gas to methanol or ethanol.    USE - The process is useful for producing fuel such as water gas, hydrogen or alcohol such as methanol or ethanol from industrial or domestic refuse, where the refuse includes materials consisting of paper, cardboard, biomass, plastics materials, elastomeric materials including halogenated plastics material and vehicle tires and food waste and the fuel is useful for vehicles and power generation.    ADVANTAGE - The process is capable of efficiently producing the clean fuel from refuse without health and environmental hazards.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The process for production of fuel e.g. hydrogen from industrial or domestic refuse, comprises heating the refuse that has a calorific value to chemically decompose it to produce off gas that comprises carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, contacting the off gas with incandescent carbon-based char in the presence of water in the form of steam and with oxygen to produce water gas comprising hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, carrying out a gas-cleaning procedure on water gas, and catalytically converting the cleaned water gas to methanol or ethanol under a pressure of 1-50 Mpa and at a temperature of greater than or equal to 200 degrees C for producing high-pressure steam as a by-product. The catalyst used in the catalytically converting step comprises zinc oxide/chromium oxide catalysts and copper based catalysts. Some of the off gas is recycled back into the chemical decomposition step. The high-pressure steam is fed to the water gas reaction. The refuse is heated in the presence of less than stoichiometric amounts of oxygen to achieve chemical decomposition. The heating step is carried out by a rotary thermal treatment unit such as a rotary kiln or a rotary hearth furnace. The steam is pre-heated to greater than or equal to 200 degrees C. The carbon-based char is at a temperature of greater than or equal to 1000 degrees C, and is present as a bed through which the off gas passes. The water gas production step is carried out in a water gas furnace. The off gas, the oxygen and the steam are introduced below the carbon-based char bed. The heat is exchanged between the water gas reaction step and the chemical decomposition step. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for an apparatus for production of fuel from refuse.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The diagram shows an apparatus for producing fuel from refuse.    Thermal treatment unit (1)    Refuse inlet (2)    Limited air inlet (3)    Off gas outlet (4)    Char outlet. (5)