Partial oxidation of alcohols was performed over Ru/Al2O3 using O-2 as the oxidizing agent. The catalytic activity increased with an increase in the thermal treatment temperature under both N-2 and H-2. The highest activity was attained by the sample treated at 1073 K in H-2. Further enhancement in the activity was achieved by washing the catalyst with aqueous NH3. The catalyst could be reused after additional pretreatment with H-2. Based on X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), CO adsorption, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, the active species was determined to be highly dispersed 1.6 run Ru particles.