Methods for fuel conversion

A method for converting carbonaceous fuel into syngas, the method comprising:

• feeding composite metal oxides and the carbonaceous fuel into a reduction reactor having a top and a bottom, wherein the carbonaceous fuel and the composite metal oxides are fed into the top of the reduction reactor, whereupon the composite metal oxides form a packed bed and the composite metal oxides and the carbonaceous fuel flow downward through the reactor in a co-current flow pattern relative to one another;
• reducing the composite metal oxides with the carbonaceous fuel in the reduction reactor to form syngas and reduced composite metal oxides;
• removing the syngas and the reduced composite metal oxides from the bottom of the reduction reactor wherein the syngas comprises hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
• transporting the reduced composite metal oxides to an oxidation reactor;
• regenerating the composite metal oxides by oxidizing the reduced composite metal oxides with an oxidizing reactant in the oxidation reactor;
• and
• recycling the regenerated composite metal oxides to the reduction reactor for subsequent reduction reactions to produce syngas in the reduction reactor;
• wherein the composite metal oxides comprise iron, titanium and oxygen and the reduced metal oxides comprise FeO·TiO2, or wherein the composite metal oxides comprise iron aluminum and oxygen and the reduced metal oxides comprise FeO·Al2O3.