A zinc ferrite material was obtained from the Morgantown Energy Technology Center for testing as a potential vapor phase cracking (VPC) catalyst. The material was tested in the existing catalyst test facility under 150 psig, at temperatures of 550/sup 0/, 650/sup 0/, and 750/sup 0/C. The apparatus has been described in earlier reports. A simulated coal -derived gas was prepared and its concentration was measured after passing through a tube packed with zinc ferrite which was enclosed in a vertical tube furnace. Results of the study indicate that: (1) phenol was almost completely removed from synthetic coal-derived gas in the presence of zinc ferrite catalyst at temperatures of 650/sup 0/C and above; (2) phenol concentrations in synthetic coal-derived were substantially decreased at 550/sup 0/C; (3) total organic carbon in the condensible fraction of the coal-derived gas was decreased by up to 98 percent at temperatures of 650/sup 0/C and above in the presence of zinc ferrite catalysts; (4) no decrease in catalyst activity was observed in the four to five hour test duration; (5) the catalyst promoted the water gas shift reaction producing effluent gas compositions which reflect equilibrium concentrations at temperatures approximately 325/sup 0/ to 350/sup 0/C higher than the catalyst bed; and (6) all, or a substantial portion, of the sulfur in the coal-derived gas was retained by the catalyst. 7 figures, 7 tables. (DMC)