Iron containing minerals and chars were screened as cracking catalysts for aromatic hydrocarbons (AHC) in simulated gasifier effluents. Catalytic activities of six minerals and two chars were measured and used to infer fundamental heterogeneous rate constants using measured properties of the pore structure of the solids. Measurements were made for 200 ppM and 2000 ppM benzene cracking over the temperature range 400 to 1000/sup 0/C. The active catalyst under gasifier conditions was found to be FeO. The minerals have a higher reactivity per unit mass in chars than in a pure form. H/sub 2/S was found to reduce the catalytic activity to one third of the unpoisoned value, but the catalysts maintained this reduced activity. These minerals have the potential to be economically feasible, disposable catalysts in a fixed bed or fluidized bed process if they can survive for ten hours. 8 refs., 33 figs., 3 tabs.