Bi-functional Mo-Ni/SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared by loading bimetal Ni-Mo over large porous and acidic SiO2-Al2O3 substrate via impregnation-precipitation-calcination-sulfurization procedure. Highly dispersed NiO clusters were loaded with urea as a precipitator. The catalytic performance for the hydrocracking of the crude oil from thermally pyrolysis of municipal solid wastes was investigated in a fixed bed reactor. It is found that SiO2-Al2O3 composites with the mid-acidity and large pores were more suitable as the substrate than Al2O3 and Al2O3-Y(Y zeolite). Mo-Ni/SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst with 8 wt% Mo and 14 wt% Ni showed the higher reactivity and higher yield of fuel oil. Moreover, its hydrocracking reactivity could be further improved by partial sulfurization of Ni and Mo. Besides, the bi-functional Mo-Ni/SiO2-Al2O3 showed a good stability, and the deactivated catalyst could be easily regenerated by on-line combustion. Under the optimized conditions of 10 MPa, WHSV 0.3 h(-1) and 698 K, the conversion of pyrolysis oil was up to 86% with 66% yield of fuel oil, greatly better than a commercial hydrocracking catalyst. The overall hydrocracking refinement converts most of the olefin, acid, ketones and poly-aromatic presented in the pyrolysis oil into alkanes, alcohols, and alkyl-aromatics, with a significant decrease of N and S contents as well as viscosity. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.