This work is focused on the study of the influence of the surface properties of different zirconia supports on the catalytic performance of ruthenium catalyst in hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose towards gamma-valerolactone. The surface properties of the synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The reaction products were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The obtained results evidenced that the presence of small ruthenium crystallites supported on the tetragonal zirconia phase was beneficial to achieve the highest gamma-valerolactone yield in the studied reaction. (C) 2015 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.