A series of monolithic catalysts of mixed metal oxides (ZnO-ZnCr2O4/CeO2-ZrO2) for methanol auto-thermal reforming (ATR) has been studied. The CeO2-ZrO2 modified Zn-Cr-oxide catalysts showed high selectivities and stabilities. Characterization by XRD and TPR showed that the Ce/Zr molar ratio was an important factor for the stabilities of the Zn-Cr catalysts due to the redox properties of the CeO2-ZrO2. The optimal molar ratio of Ce to Zr was 4/1. The addition of the CeO2-ZrO2 mixed oxides decreased the crystallite size of the Zn-Cr oxide. Operation parameters such as the ratios of oxygen to methanol and water to methanol were studied. The ZnO-ZnCr2O4/CeO2-ZrO2 catalyst exhibited very good stability during 1000 h test. (c) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.