A catalyst loaded Ni-Fe using powder active carbon (PAC) and gamma-Al2O3 as the support was prepared for hydrogen-rich syngas production from rape straw pyrolysis in a two-stage fixed reactor. EDX (Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), SEM (Scanning electron microscope) and N-2 isothermal adsorption desorption were used to characterize the catalysts. The results showed that the support of PAC-gamma Al2O3 was uniform with large specific surface area. The metals loaded on the support were well dispersed. The performance of Ni-Fe/PAC-gamma Al2O3 catalysts compared with single support catalyst NiO-Fe2O3/gamma Al2O3 (NFA) and NiO-Fe2O3/PAC (NFP) was studied. The results showed that the Ni-Fe/PAC-gamma Al2O3 catalysts showed a good catalytic activity which obviously enhanced the H-2 gas yield to 54.23 g/kg Rape straw and reduced the tar yield to 4.06 g/kg. Meanwhile, Ni-Fe/PAC-gamma Al2O3 catalysts had a stronger ability to prevent the deactivation to keep a longtime stability than the single carrier catalyst. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.