The new catalyst: heteropolyacid H3PW12O40 (HPA) supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for ethanol conversion was compared with silica and titania supported heteropolyacid. The ethanol conversion did not depend on the type of the support up to reaction temperature 403 K while above 423 K ethanol conversion was higher for HPA on CNTs than for unsupported HPA. Generally, the most active catalysts were obtained by using high surface area silica as the support. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.