NOVELTY - Generating methane-enriched raw product gas stream from non-gaseous carbonaceous material comprises: e.g. preparing carbonaceous feedstock from non-gaseous carbonaceous material and first carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream; introducing feedstock and alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst; reacting feedstock in presence of e.g. hydrogen to produce methane-enriched raw product gas and solid byproduct char; withdrawing stream of methane-enriched raw product gas and solid by-product char; and recycling second carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream.    USE - The method is useful for generating methane-enriched raw product gas stream from non-gaseous carbonaceous material (claimed) which is used as British thermal unit fuel source and a feed for fuel cell and to recover heat energy and to produce substitute natural gas (pipeline quality), hydrogen, carbon monoxide, syngas, ammonia, methanol, other syngas-derived products and electrical power.    ADVANTAGE - The method: minimizes thermal treatment step; allows recycling of the catalyst; and increases overall carbon utilization and yields of product gas.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Generating a methane-enriched raw product gas stream from a non-gaseous carbonaceous material comprises: preparing carbonaceous feedstock from non-gaseous carbonaceous material and first carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream; introducing carbonaceous feedstock and alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst into hydromethanation reactor, where the catalyst is derived from recycle alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst and make-up alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst; reacting feedstock in hydromethanation reactor in the presence of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, steam and alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst to produce methane-enriched raw product gas and solid by-product char; withdrawing stream of the methane-enriched raw product gas from the reactor as the methane-enriched raw product gas stream, where the methane-enriched raw product gas stream comprises methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, steam and heat energy; (e) withdrawing stream of the solid by-product char from the reactor, where the withdrawn solid by-product char comprises carbon and an inorganic ash, and alkali metal content; (d) treating withdrawn solid by-product char to generate cleaned char stream depleted in at least alkali metal content, and an aqueous alkali metal-enriched stream comprising at least one water-soluble alkali metal compound, where enriched stream comprises at least a predominant portion of alkali metal content of the withdrawn solid by-product char; (g) recycling at least a portion of the aqueous alkali metal-enriched stream for use as the recycle alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst; (h) treating cleaned char stream to generate second carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream, and carbon-depleted and inorganic ash-enriched char stream; and (i) recycling at least a portion of the second carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream as the first carbon-enriched and inorganic ash-depleted char stream.