NiFe 2 O 4 is one of the best oxygen carriers (OCs) for the biomass chemical looping gasification coupled with steam reforming. The kinetics analysis of biomass and NiFe 2 O 4 is helpful for understanding their mechanism of interaction. In this work, a thermogravimetric analyzer, and distributed activation energy model based on a time integral (DAEM-TI) were used to study the effect of the OC/biomass ratio and atmosphere on gasification. In addition, thermodynamic analysis by Factsage and a 15-loop test of the OC in a fixed bed reactor were applied to investigate the NiFe 2 O 4 transformation and its multiple redox performance. The kinetic analysis showed that gasification included: i) moisture loss of ~100 kJ/mol, ii) devolatilization of 150 ~ 175 kJ/mol, and iii) char gasification of 250 ~ 350 kJ/mol. There was a transition that was accompanied by a slight reduction before a rapid increment of activation energy in adjacent stages. This may be attributed to the difference between the various energy barriers of reactions. The simulation results of DAEM-TI matched the experimental data well, and all adjusted coefficients of determination exceeded 98%. The best ratio of OC/biomass was 5/5 for optimal gasification that avoided overoxidation. The mass rebound of H 2 O on char gasification was higher than that of CO 2 , which indicated H 2 O had stronger oxidizability than CO 2 . Thermodynamic simulation showed that spinel NiFe 2 O 4 converted into an FCC Fe(Ni) alloy during gasification. However, CO 2 and H 2 O were only capable of restoration to Fe 3 O 4 and could not oxidize Ni to Ni 2+ , so calcining in air was necessary for NiFe 2 O 4 restoration. The performance of restored NiFe 2 O 4 remained high and even slightly improved compared to that of the fresh NiFe 2 O 4 after 15 redox loops.