In order to crack the tar from biomass pyrolysis, five cordierite-supported monolithic catalysts with different Ni/Co ratio were prepared by vacuum wetness impregnation. All catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD and XPS characterization results show the inexistence of spinel structure such as NiAl2O4 and CoAl2O4. TPR characterization results suggest the possible formation of Ni-Co alloy. BET characterization results show that the effect of Ni/Co ratio on catalyst specific surface area is obvious. The catalytic test results show that the performance of bimetallic catalyst is better than that of monometallic catalyst. The Ni3Co1/cordierite catalyst exhibits the best catalytic performance among all bimetallic catalysts, its tar conversion and gas yield reach 96.4% and 1.21 Nm(3)/kg, respectively, at a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 1.4 h(-1). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.