Ethanol gasification using Cu-Ni-K/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts was studied. The reaction was carried out at a low temperature (300degreesC) and atmospheric pressure. The influence of the diffusional effects, the residence time and the water/ethanol molar ratio in the feed on the ethanol conversion and on the product distribution was analysed. Additional experiments were performed with monometallic catalysts, such as Cu-K/gamma-Al2O3 and Ni-K/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts. Ethanol gasification is favoured by a diminution of the diffusional resistances, high residence time and low water to ethanol feed ratio. A probable reaction mechanism is postulated, which is consistent with the experimental results and let identify the function of each metal (copper and nickel). (C) 2003 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.