Benzene hydrogenation has been employed as a test reaction for examining Nickel on Al-pillared saponite systems as hydrogenation catalysts. Catalytic activity was evaluated over a temperature range of 70-160degreesC under atmospheric pressure, in a differential bench scale reactor. Surface area measurements and X-ray diffraction were used as tools for characterizing the catalysts. The influence of the support's acidity on the catalyst activity was studied via diverse modifications of the pillared clay support. The evolution of catalyst activity with nickel loading is also discussed and the results are compared to those previously obtained for nickel on Al-pillared montmorillonite catalyst.