TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The step (a) and step (b) are performed using at least one catalyst comprising a group VIIIB metal (iron, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium or platinum). The catalyst is alloyed with, is combined with, or further comprises at least one element comprising copper, potassium, manganese, lanthanum, rhenium, zinc, silicon, silver, gadolinium, thorium, zirconium, titanium, chromium, vanadium, lithium, sodium, rubidium, cesium, molybdenum, gold, boron or chlorine or their oxides. The step (a) and step (b) are performed using at least one catalyst comprising platinum, ruthenium and/or rhenium or catalyst comprising a group VIIIB metal disposed on a support. The synthesis gas from step (a) is introduced directly into the reaction of step (b) with absence of any pre-treatment. Preferred Components: The support is carbon and/or oxides of aluminum, cerium, zirconium or magnesium, preferably titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, alumina, magnesium oxide, zirconium dioxide, zirconium titanate (ZrxTiyO2), thorium oxide, Kieselguhr, lanthanum trioxide, magnesium chromate, titanium silicate (TixSiyO2), titanium zirconium oxide (TixZryO2), zinc oxide, chromic oxide, manganese oxide, niobium pentoxide, cerium oxide, Y-zeolite, USY-zeolite, ZSM-5 zeolite, MCM-41 zeolite, MCM-22 zeolite, HZSM-5 zeolite, H-BEA zeolite, HY-zeolite, iron-substituted LTL zeolite, ITQ-6 delaminated zeolite, ITQ-2 delaminated zeolite, HMS molecular sieves, montmorillonite, macroporous styrene-divinylbenzene, 4-vinylpyridine-divinylbenzene, anthracene and/or carbonized-quinoline. The catalyst is disposed on a support comprising preferably alumina, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide and/or zirconium oxide.x, y = not defined.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The step (a) comprises performing the endothermic gasification reaction preferably at 550 K. The method comprises: performing step (a) and step (b) simultaneously in a single reactor vessel, using more than one catalyst bed; or performing step (a) before and step (b), and performing step (a) and step (b) sequentially in separate reactor vessels. The step (a) comprises performing the endothermic gasification reaction with a reactant comprising at least one compound comprising polysaccharides, monosaccharides or polyols. The step (a) comprises performing the endothermic gasification reaction with a reactant comprising glycerol. The step (b) comprises performing a Fischer-Tropsch reaction. EXAMPLE - Carbon supported platinum rhenium catalyst was prepared to contain 5 wt % platinum and an atomic ratio of platinum/rhenium of 1:2.5. The catalyst was prepared via the incipient wetting of an aqueous solution of dihydrogenhexachloroplatinate(IV) hexahydrate (39.85% platinum) and perrhenic acid on a hydrogen peroxide functionalized UU 60x 120 mesh carbon and dried at 100 degrees C under vacuum. The catalyst (9.64 g) was loaded in 1/2 inch stainless steel reactor and reduced in flowing hydrogen before reaction. The stainless steel reactor was heated using an aluminum block heater to maintain isothermal conditions. Glycerol-in-water solution (70 wt.%) was fed over the catalyst at 260 degrees C and 600 psig at a weight hourly space velocity of 2.4 based on the glycerol (2.4 g of glycerol per gram of catalyst per hour). At these reaction conditions the feed remained in the condensed form over the catalyst bed. Under the stated reaction conditions, 100% of the glycerol was converted. The carbon (93%) was collected in gas-phase products, 1% of the carbon was collected as an organic layer that was analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Analysis of this organic layer showed the presence of 9-20C hydrocarbons.