An entrained flow process for hydrogen production by gasification (partial oxidation) of coarsely ground Chinese reed has been developed. One of the main characteristics of this process is the withdrawal of liquid slag from the reaction zone. The slag outlet is heated with two swirl burners in which fuel gas is burned with excess oxygen. The excess oxygen is heated up by the flames and subsequently used for the reed gasification. For gasifier design, the chemical and hydrodynamic behaviour of the reed has been investigated and a mathematical reactor model has been developed. The performance of the process has been demonstrated by gasification experiments on a semi-technical scale. These measurements show that Chinese reed can be gasified in an entrained flow reactor with a high degree of carbon conversion without grinding the feedstock to particle sizes below 100 mum as is necessary for coal gasification. Reed with particle sizes of a few millimeters can be gasified during short residence times in entrained flow reactors firstly because the volatile matter content of the reed is about twice that of coal and secondly the resulting char is extremely reactive.