Ba addition to supported Ni catalysts was investigated on steam reforming of toluene, as a model compound of biomass tar. Ba addition showed drastic promotive effects on catalytic activity and tolerance against oxidation. Various catalytic tests and characterization were conducted, including pressure dependence, Arrhenius plots, STEM and XAFS observations, dispersion of supported Ni, and temperature programmed reduction. Results revealed that the electron donation from Ba to Ni enabled high catalytic performance of Ba/Ni/LaAlO3 perovskite catalyst. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.