Efficient use of biomass in regenerative furnace firing

A method of carrying out combustion in a furnace, comprising

• (A) combusting fuel in a furnace to produce gaseous combustion products, and
• (B) alternately
• (1) passing gaseous combustion products from the furnace into and through a cooled first regenerator to heat the first regenerator and cool said gaseous combustion products, pyrolyzing solid or liquid organic fuel such as biomass with heat that is provided from gaseous combustion products from the furnace to form pyrolysis gas that contains CO, H2O, hydrocarbons, and oxygenated hydrocarbons, passing a gaseous reformable mixture comprising said pyrolysis gas into a heated second regenerator and, in the second regenerator, reacting the reformable mixture in an endothermic reaction to form syngas comprising hydrogen and CO and cool the second regenerator, and passing said syngas from the second regenerator into the furnace and combusting it with gaseous oxidant in the furnace, and
• (2) passing gaseous combustion products from the furnace into and through a cooled second regenerator to heat the second regenerator and cool said gaseous combustion products, pyrolyzing solid or liquid organic fuel such as biomass with heat that is provided from gaseous combustion products from the furnace to form pyrolysis gas that contains CO, H2O, hydrocarbons, and oxygenated hydrocarbons, passing a gaseous reformable mixture comprising said pyrolysis gas into a heated first regenerator and, in the first regenerator, reacting the reformable mixture in an endothermic reaction to form syngas comprising hydrogen and CO and cool the first regenerator, and passing said syngas from the first regenerator into the furnace and combusting it with gaseous oxidant in the furnace.