Cobalt oxide catalysts supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15 were prepared by the "two-solvent" method and compared with analogous catalysts prepared by the more conventional methods of impregnation and adsorption. Cobalt nitrate was used as the precursor. The catalysts were characterized by N-2 adsorption-desorption. XRD, FTIR, XPS, TPR, ICP-MS, TEM and DR UV-vis. Their activity for the oxidation of cyclohexanol was determined by GC and GC-MS. The effect of metal loading on the morphology and catalytic activity of the catalysts was investigated. The catalyst with the lowest cobalt content exhibited the highest catalytic activity for cyclohexanol oxidation due to the better accessibility of the reactants to the catalytic sites. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.