Catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) of n-butanol is an alternative route for hydrogen production from bio-mass. An analysis on the thermodynamics using Gibbs free energy minimization method was carried out, and the results indicated that a higher H-2 yield can be obtained near 700 degrees C or above with O-2/butanol = 1.5-2.0. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) derived catalysts were proved effective in CPOX, and the Ni-0.35/Mg2.65Al0.5Fe0.5O4.(5 +/-delta) catalyst produced about 4.03 mol-H-2/mol-butanol at 700 degrees C with a feed of O-2/butanol = 2.0. This higher activity can be attributed to the structural and electronic properties: there is a higher surface area of 178.2 m(2)/g, and more Ni-0 atoms were obtained and remained stable in the 31-h CPDX test. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.