Abstract: Biomass gasification is a kind of pyrolysis technology in which biomass materials was converted into combustible gas by means of thermal decomposition of raw materials in high temperature oxidbillity media. In the process of gasification, the variables such as gasification medium, gasification conditions and catalysts were commonly employed to improve gasification efficiency and adjust combustible gas components and eliminate tar that was produced from the thermal decomposition of biomass materials. The effect of types of gasification media and catalyst, and gasification conditions on the components of gaseous products, i.e., H₂ and CO, were reviewed emphatically in this paper. Finally, the future development of biomass gasification was prospected and some problems were presented.

Key words: biomass, gasification, catalyst, hydrogen, carbon monoxide