Based on the original biomass cyclone gasifier, the cyclone pyrolysis-suspension combustion gasification technology was constituted with a bottom wind ring to build the biochar suspension combustion zone. This technology decouples the biomass pyrolysis, gasification (reduction reaction) and combustion (oxidation reaction) within the same device. With the feed amount and total air fixed, the effect of air rate arrangement on temperature distribution of the gasifier, syngas components and gasification parameters was studied. With the secondary air rate (0.20) and bottom air rate (0.50), the gasification efficiency was best, with gas heating value of 5.15 MJ/Nm(3), carbon conversion rate of 71.50%, gasification efficiency of 50.80% and syngas yield of 1.29 Nm(3)/kg. The device with biochar for the tar catalytic cracking was installed at the gasifier outlet, effectively reducing the tar content in syngas, with a minimum value of 1.02 g/Nm(3). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.