Tar removal catalyst development is the main hurdle to improving the process of steam biomass
gasification in a fluidized bed. A Ni/olivine catalyst has been previously developed to enhance the catalytic
properties of calcined natural olivine and showed excellent performance and stability during biomass
steam gasification in the fast internally circulating fluidized bed (FICFB) gasifier. However, the origin
of its active phase was not well-understood. The present work explains the mechanism of formation and
the nature of the active phase of the Ni/olivine catalyst, characterized before testing, after calcination,
and after reduction by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Two phenomena contribute
to the formation of this active system: the formation of a NiO−MgO solid solution on the olivine surface
during calcination and Ni−Fe alloys during the reduction, both of which are known to have beneficial
effects on increasing carbon deposition resistance. The catalyst, resulting from subsequent calcination
and reduction of the precursor after the impregnation of natural olivine with nickel nitrate, can be described
as a Ni−Fe/MgO/olivine system. Its catalytic performances are confirmed in the steam reforming of
methane and toluene as a tar model compound.