For the selective hydrogenation of acetylene, the novel Pd/alpha-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by plasma method were investigated. The influence of the preparation method, content of Pd active component, catalyst promoter and reaction temperature has been investigated. It was found that the conversion and selectivity of the catalysts prepared by glow discharge plasma were superior to those obtained from the conventional catalysts. The acetylene conversion of 100% and the selectivity of 71.3% in C2H4 were obtained at 50degreesC over the plasma-prepared sample (0.15 wt.% Pd), while the plasma-prepared catalyst was stable during the long-time test for more than 20 h. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.