To determine whether the tar emission abatement effect of activated alumina is applicable to a circulating fluidized bed gasifier (CFBG), we carried out experiments of ligneous biomass pyrolysis with activated alumina particles as a bed material using a small-scale CFBG at 873 K and 943 K. High tar reduction could be achieved in the CFBG within the investigated range, particularly at high tar yields, for which a decrease of two orders of magnitude was recorded. Total low tar yields also decreased, although some light aromatic hydrocarbons increased slightly. In addition, in the investigated range, the effects of load on the operating conditions for tar emission were sensitive to low tar yield, but were insensitive to high tar yield. With respect to gaseous products, hydrogen and carbon dioxide yields increased. However, this increase resulted in a lower heating value of the produced gas due to a decrease in the carbon monoxide concentration. The use of activated alumina as a bed material has the advantageous effect of increasing the total gas yield and the adverse effect of decreasing the heating value. However, with respect to the simulation of the steam gasification process, the cold gas efficiency is increased by a few percentage points overall. In addition, the use of activated alumina particles allowed stable circulation of the bed material and prevented the "bogging" effect by immediately removing tar in the reactor.