Steam gasification of coal char catalyzed by potassium carbonate was investigated on a laboratory fixed-bed reactor to examine the catalytic effects not only on the reaction rate but also on the reaction selectivity, and non-catalytic gasification of coal char was performed by way of contrast. It was observed that the catalytic gasification of coal char with steam occurred significantly in a temperature range of 700-750 degrees C, producing a hydrogen-rich gas with slight formation of carbon monoxide and virtually no formation of methane. An oxygen transfer and intermediate hybrid mechanism of the catalytic char gasification with steam is proposed for understanding of the experimental data regarding both the kinetic behaviors and reaction selectivity. The study has highlighted the advantages of the catalytic gasification of coal char over the conventional coal gasification with respect to the reaction selectivity. The catalytic steam gasification of coal char makes it possible to eliminate or simplify the methane reforming and water-gas shift processes in the traditional gas-to-hydrogen purification system. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.