TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst for catalytically converting the pygas to hydrocarbons is a light hydrocarbon (preferably methane)-forming catalyst (preferably nickel on alumina).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred System: The fast pyrolysis device includes a hydrogen sweep gas for producing pygas and char. The fast pyrolysis device and the catalytic conversion device operate at stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen over biomass of greater than 0.5, a total atomic hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of gas in the reactor of greater than 4, and a hydrogen partial pressure of 0.5-100 bar in both the fast pyrolysis device and catalytic conversion device. The fast pyrolysis device operates at or includes an operating pressure of less than 100 bara, operating temperature of 400-650 degrees C, sweep gas, moving bed, auger transport mechanism, char contact time less than 5 seconds, hydrogen partial pressure of 0.5-100 bar, heating media, and/or heated media contact temperature of less than 650 degrees C. The system operates at a pressure of 2-100 bara. The step of catalytically converting the pygas to hydrocarbons involves using the independent reactor and optionally guard bed, single catalyst, multiple catalysts, catalysts incorporating selective hydrocarbon forming catalyst and support active for cracking oxygenated hydrocarbons, operation temperature of less than 650 degrees C, depolymerization section, hydrodeoxidation section, moving bed, fixed beds with valving, and/or catalyst decoker. The system further comprises a tar minimization device downstream of the catalytic conversion device; a mineral oil heat exchanger, condenser cooler and/or pressure swing adsorber downstream of the catalytic converter; a product purifier downstream of the catalytic converter for withdrawing a portion of the hydrocarbons for export; and a steam reformer fluidly coupled to the catalytic converter for producing hydrogen from at least a portion of the hydrocarbons. The tar minimization device comprises a mineral oil heat exchanger operating with a high boiling fraction of a paraffinic hydrocarbon mixture and an oil separator. The step of performing product purification involves recycling excess hydrogen back to the fast pyrolyzer and catalytic converter. A steam iron process is utilized to generate hydrogen in the pyrolysis section. At least a portion of the hydrocarbons is exported as a renewable, sustainable, carbon neutral fuel, and/or feedstock. The exported hydrocarbons are used for producing renewable, sustainable and/or carbon neutral electric power.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Components: The heating media is steel or magnetite (preferably magnetite particles).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method further involves adding hydrogen to the independent catalytic converter. At least a portion of the hydrogen is added from an external source, and/or at least a portion of the hydrogen is produced by steam reformation of at least a portion of the hydrocarbons. The steam produced while catalytically converting the pygas to hydrocarbons, or during the production of the pygas; is used for the steam reformation. The step of performing fast pyrolysis involves producing a char product, where char contact time with the pygas is less than 5 seconds, using a sweep gas comprising hydrogen, heating using a heating media, and/or heating media contact temperature of less than 650 degrees C. The heating media is magnetic magnetite particles that are used in a char separator; and has a heat capacity of greater than 0.3 cal/cm3/K, a weight ratio of heating media to biomass is at least 5:1, and/or a temperature drop following contacting biomass of less than 100 degrees C. The step of catalytically converting the pygas to hydrocarbons involves using a stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen over biomass of greater than 0.5; using a total atomic hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of gas in the reactor of greater than 4; and using a catalyst, where the catalyst contact time with the pygas is less than 60 minutes. The steps of performing fast pyrolysis and catalytically converting the pygas to hydrocarbons involve using a hydrogen partial pressure of 0.5-100 bars, a process pressure of (2-100, preferably less than 100) bara, an operating temperature of 400-650 degrees C, an auger transport mechanism, catalyst cooling, multiple heating vessels operating in staggered phase, and/or gas-solid separators operating above 350 degrees C. The method involves fast pyrolysis, independent catalytic conversion, and hydrogen recycle. The method further involves using char from the pyrolysis process to heat a hydrogen generating reformer; and using a product purifier export-to-feed hydrocarbon ratio for controlling hydrogen stoichiometric ratio in the conversion reactor. EXAMPLE - A bio oil feed made from pyrolysis of oat hulls was revaporized by pumping the bio oil over heated glass material to create a pygas. Bio oil composition was known to be very similar in chemical composition to pygas. Further, a parallel feed of hydrogen gas, with a stoichiometric value, as related to the bio oil feed on a water free basis, of 2.3 was injected into the revaporization vessel. The pygas and hydrogen were then sent to a catalytic reactor containing an activated commercial methanation catalyst comprising nickel on alumina. The resulting converted gas mixture was subsequently cooled in a knock out pot and the gas content and condensed materials were analyzed and measured. When at revaporization bed temperature of 550 degrees C, and operating pressure of 11 bara, the pygas mixture was sent into a catalytic reactor at 550 degrees C for a residence time of 2.6 seconds; the product gas carbon selectivity to methane was measured at over 99%, and the (total) condensable tar collected in a knock out pot yielded (less than 0.3 wt.%) of the bio oil (dry basis). By comparison, as disclosed, in US4822935, an atmospheric run using a nickel-on-alumina catalyst at 560 degrees C, at estimated stoichiometric ratio of 2.9 and a residence time of 0.43-0.45 seconds, yielded product gas methane selectivity of 90% and 1.33% (total) condensable tar. Also comparatively, the bio oil revaporization created a char residue on the glass material upstream of the catalyst. At 450 degrees C, the weight ratio of char created to bio oil delivered (dry basis), as measured at the end of the run, was calculated. At the atmospheric pressure condition, the weight ratio was 18% of input carbon. At a pressure condition of 21 bara, the weight ratio was 8% of input carbon.