Experimental investigations of in-situ tar H2O reforming over various biochar species were carried out in the two-stage fluidized bed/fixed bed reactor. The physicochemical structures of biochar were studied by SEM, mercury intrusion porosimetry and FTIR methods. The mechanism of tar H2O reforming over biochar was studied through the results of tar yields and quantitative analysis of typical tars by GC/MS. According to the theory of organic mass spectrometry and current mechanisms of tar transformation, the reaction path of typical tar H2O reforming over biochar was constructed. The results show that the tar reforming rate over sawdust biochar is the most significant among the three kinds of biochar samples (i.e., rice husk, sawdust and cornstalk). The metallic species contribute greatly to the weight loss of biochar in 15 vol% H2O atmosphere at 800 degrees C, while they are not the only determinants of tar H2O reforming. The selectivity of biochar on the in-situ tar H2O reforming is determined by the coupling effects of its physical and chemical characteristics. The biochar, with the porous surface structures, a certain amount of metallic species and the carbon structure with low polymerization, would be effective on in-situ tar H2O reforming. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.