Results concerning the coupling of the steam reforming (SR) and total oxidation (TOX) of methanol in a two-passage reactor are presented. A commercially available copper based catalyst is used for the steam reforming. For the total oxidation, a highly active cobalt oxide catalyst was developed. Both catalysts are used in form of thin layers immobilized on the wall of the micro-channels. Reactor design and operating conditions are based on kinetic models developed under isothermal conditions in micro-structured reactors. For the oxidation reaction, complete conversion of methanol (>99%) at temperatures higher than 250 degreesC is observed. For the steam reforming, the hydrogen and CO2 selectivity is higher than 96% for methanol conversion up to 90%. Besides the steady state, the dynamic behavior of the coupled system is studied. It is shown that the transient behavior is mainly determined by the thermal inertia of the system. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.