Partial oxidation and oxidative steam reforming of propane were investigated over 0.01 wt.% Rh/Al2O3 foam catalysts. High selectivity to hydrogen was obtained for both reactions, but addition of steam to the reactant mixture gave higher selectivity to hydrogen. Stability tests over 7 h revealed that the catalytic activity of Rh was quite stable under partial oxidation conditions. Higher loss in Rh activity was observed when steam was present in the reactant mixture. FE-SEM images showed that Rh particle size and distribution are modified under partial oxidation and oxidative steam reforming conditions. However, these changes were more distinct on the catalyst used for oxidative steam reforming. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.