The performance of titania-supported molybdenum carbide, nitride, phosphide and oxide catalysts was compared for catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenol. Phenol was selected as a stable model component for lignin degradation products in fast pyrolysis bio-oil. The synthesis and formation path of the materials was evaluated by the use of complementary characterization techniques (XRD, TPR and TGA-MS). All the catalysts showed promising catalytic performance during testing in a fixed-bed reactor set-up at a temperature of 350 degrees C and total pressure of 25 bar, and the highest activity was achieved with 15 wt% Mo2C/TiO2. A high selectivity towards benzene was observed with all catalysts. MoP supported on TiO2 showed the strongest tendency to aromatic ring hydrogenation and also a significant selectivity (10% level) towards methylcyclopentane, indicating contributions of acidic surface chemistry. Thus, Mo based materials are active and promising materials for establishing selectivity control in HDO of bio-oils. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.