TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method comprises using a catalyst material that includes at least one of cobalt, nickel, tin, platinum, rhenium and/or palladium. Preferred Components: The slurry is aqueous slurry, where the aqueous slurry comprises an alkaline component.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method comprises: decomposing the lignocellulosic material in a slurry having a pH of greater than or equal to 8 at 180-250 degrees C; decomposing the lignocellulosic material in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst and at a pressure that is greater than 5 atmospheres; separating the lignin from the byproduct polymers; catalytically reforming the byproduct polymers which are substantially free of the lignin, to produce hydrogen; using the hydrogen from the catalytic reforming in the decomposing of the lignocellulosic material; and using the hydrogen from the catalytic reforming in the decomposition of lignin into the targeted chemical fragments. In the method, the byproduct polymer comprises cellulose, and comprises decomposing the cellulose to a hydrocarbon material having six carbon atoms. The method comprises catalytically converting the targeted chemical fragments of the lignin to produce the biofuel. The targeted chemical fragments of the lignin include oxygenates or less than or equal to 9 carbon atoms. In the method, the chemical converting of the targeted chemical fragments include reacting targeted chemical fragments with each other to produce hydrocarbons having 9-16C. EXAMPLE - Inconel stirred autoclave (500 cc) was charged with wood flour (28 g), water (250 g), potassium hydroxide (14 g) and Raney nickel catalyst (14 g). The reactor was sealed, flushed with nitrogen and pressurized with nitrogen to 100 psig and then hydrogen to total pressure of 600 psig. The reactor was heated to 200 degrees C and maintained at temperature for 6 hours under stirring. After the reaction mixture was cooled, the residual gas was analyzed. The product mixture was withdrawn, the reactor was rinsed with water and the wash was combined with the product mixture. This product mixture was filtered and the residue washed with water. An aliquot of the liquid was acidified with 2M sulfuric acid to a pH of 1-2. The acidified liquor was extracted with ether three times and then with ethyl acetate three times. The resulting ether extract and ethyl acetate extract was then analyzed. 1-butanol was used as internal standard for the measurement and the yield of phenolics, cyclic alcohols, methoxybenzene were calculated on the basis of total lignin that can be converted to cyclic precursors.