Pt/ZrO2-SO4 catalysts bearing different acid/metal site ratios were prepared and the balance between those two sorts of surface centers was investigated on liquid-phase chemoconversiori of xylose. Direct conversion of xylose to furfuryl alcohol was successfully reported for the very first time on a single multifunctional catalyst and it was found to proceed via intermediate formation of the ketopentose isomer. The impact of the disposal of acid and metal sites on catalyst surface was assessed by comparing the synthesized single multifunctional catalysts with dual catalytic systems at which active sites are placed on two different solid surfaces. Reaction network and product distribution were shown to depend on such arrangement. It was suggested that furfuryl alcohol is formed through dehydration-hydrogenation cascade reactions on independent acid and metal sites on dual catalytic systems while one-step conversion occurs on vicinal acid-metal pair sites created on single multifunctional catalysts. The creation of isolated metal centers on multifunctional catalyst surface was seen to allow the formation of xylitol while the existence of sole acid sites led to the production of furfural. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.