Liquids from coal-tire hydrothermolysis, obtained in a swept fixed bed reactor (SFB), have been improved. The upgraded process was carried out keeping constant the residence time (30 min) and hydrogen pressure (10 MPa) at two different temperatures (400 degrees C and 450 degrees C) with three different catalysts: Red Mud, Ni/Mo, supported on alumina, and Mo salt, supported on carbon black (CB). The upgraded oils have been characterised by CC-MS and by their hydrocarbon components by TLC-FID. Their Naphtha, Kerosene, Gas Oil, Heavy Gas Oil and Vacuum Residue percentages are quantified by simulated distillation. Some inferences on catalyst mechanisms during the upgrading processes, as a function of the analytical data obtained in the characterisation of the upgraded oils, are commented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.