TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method for regenerating catalyst further comprises a step of reacting the catalyst with an oxidant at a temperature of at least 550-690 degrees C, where the step of reacting with an oxidant is conducted prior to the step of washing, and a step subsequent to the step of washing where the catalyst activity is increased by treating the catalyst with a solution that adds a metal or metals to the catalyst where the added metal is gallium, zinc, cobalt, iron, chromium, copper, vanadium, nickel, manganese, silver, sodium, phosphorus, tin, zirconium, niobium, yttrium, titanium, cerium and/or lanthanum. The method for regenerating catalyst comprises a step of removing the catalyst from a pyrolysis reaction chamber prior to washing the catalyst and/or prior to treating it with an oxidant. The portion of the catalyst treated with the oxidant is passed through one or more cyclones to separate the catalyst from ash. The portion of hot flue gas from the combustion chamber is used to heat a catalytic pyrolysis reactor. In the method for regenerating catalyst, prior to the step of washing the catalyst, the catalyst used to catalyze the pyrolysis of biomass is exposed to a gas stream comprising steam, and is combusted with oxygen in the presence of steam. The step of reacting with the oxidant is conducted in a combustion zone, where the coke contaminated catalyst enters the combustion zone subsequently exits the combustion zone at a location that is lower with respect to gravity, and oxygen containing regeneration gas enters from below the combustion zone and exits above the combustion zone. The step of reacting with an oxidant results in a hot regenerated catalyst, where the portion of the hot regenerated catalyst is separated from ash before being subjected to the washing step. The carbon content of the coke-contaminated catalyst is reduced to less than 1.8% by the washing step or remains greater than 0.1%. The catalyst retains coke deposited on the catalyst during exposure to biomass and is not fully removed, where the carbon content remaining on the catalyst is at least 0.2%. Preferred Components: The catalyst comprises a zeolite. The liquid comprises at least 90% of water.