The catalytic conversion of a model tar compound, namely: naphthalene contained in a simulated producer gas from wood gasification process was investigated. The sol-gel approach was used to create a mesoporous Ce-promoted Ni/alumina catalyst with high surface area. A surface area of 333 m2/g was achieved by calcination of the mesoporous catalyst (17 wt% Ni and 2.8 wt% Ce) under air conditions at 1123 K. The catalysts were characterized using the N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, and SEM techniques, and their promotion effect on producer gas reforming and tar removal was studied under dry, steam, and partial oxidation conditions. The Ni-based catalysts effectively converted naphthalene and increased the proportion of H2 and CO in the reformed gas. Incorporating Ce into the catalyst increased the proportion of H2 and CO in the reformed gas, while lowering the amount of CH4 and CO2. In the absence of oxygen, catalytic reforming of the producer gas resulted in 79.6% naphthalene conversion, whereas catalytic partial oxidation conditions resulted in 99.1% naphthalene conversion.