Incipient wetness impregnation method was used to incorporate heteropolyacid H6[PV3Mo9O40]nH2O (HPA) on SiO2 at various HPA loadings (10, 20, 30, 40wt.% HPA) and calcined temperatures. Catalytic activity of these synthesised catalysts were evaluated through oxidation of 2-methylcyclohexanone to methyl 6-oxoheptanoate which was a desired product. In the oxidative conditions the conversion and selectivity of the desired product methyl 6-oxoheptanoate can reach as high as 97 and 94wt.%, respectively. The results also suggested that the catalyst with 20wt.% loading of HPA to be the best one. The catalysts were characterised using a variety of techniques including XRD, BET, FT-IR and TGA-DTA. The results indicated that HPA was well dispersed on the SiO2 supporting material. An engine ignition test following ASTM D6890 standard indicated that the oxidative ring-opening of cyclohydrocarbons can have a positive impact on the cetane numbers and ignition delay time of fuels. (c) 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering