TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The liquid consists of water. The water is process condensate. The method condensate comprises tars derived from the carbon-containing feedstock. The method further involves removing at least a portion of the tars. The cooling device is selected from static mixer, heat exchanger, vessel, column, ceramic membrane, and/or section of pipe. The cooling device is configured to introduce the liquid in a several locations. The cooling device is configured to reduce the average droplet size of the liquid prior to introduction into the cooling device. The liquid is injected into the cooling device through a nozzle. The liquid is injected into the cooling device through a means for droplet-size reduction selected from screen, ceramic filter, and/or molecular sieve. The molar H2O/CO ratio of the liquid introduced to the cooling device divided by CO in the first vapor stream is 0.01-5. The molar H2O/CO ratio is 0.1-2 (preferably 0.5-1.5). The dew point of the second vapor stream is less than the temperature of the second vapor stream, where the dew point of the second vapor stream is at least 100 (preferably 500) degrees F below the temperature of the second vapor stream, where during step (c), the second vapor stream is cooled to a temperature of 1000-1800 (preferably 1200-1600, especially 1300-1500) degrees F. The conduit is used to convey the second vapor stream from the cooling device to the waste-heat recovery unit, where during step (d), no liquid droplets reach the wall of the conduit. The method further involves capturing and removing tars and/or particulate matter between steps (c) and (d); and capturing and removing tars and/or particulate matter after step (d), where step (d) includes cooling the second vapor stream to below its dew point. The temperature of the cool syngas is 250-1500 (preferably 500-1000) degrees F. The method further involves converting the cool syngas to a product (preferably alcohols such as ethanol, alkanes, olefins, aldehydes, ethers, acids, or hydrogen). Preferred Apparatus: The cooling device is selected from static mixer, heat exchanger, vessel, column, ceramic membrane, and/or section of pipe. The cooling device is configured to introduce the liquid in several locations. The cooling device is configured to reduce the average droplet size of the liquid. The apparatus further involves a nozzle in fluid communication with the cooling device; device for droplet-size reduction, in fluid communication with the cooling device, selected from screen, ceramic filter, and/or molecular sieve; syngas-conversion unit for catalytically converting at least some of the cool syngas to mixed alcohols; syngas-conversion unit for catalytically converting at least some of the cool syngas to alcohol, alkane, olefin, aldehyde, ether, or acids; and syngas fermentor for biologically converting at least some of the cool syngas to ethanol. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.