This study presents a side-by-side comparison of LaMnO3 and LaNiO3 perovskites in the autothermal partial oxidation of glycerol to syngas. Pure glycerol and glycerol/water solutions were converted to syngas under adiabatic conditions. The addition of water suppressed glycerol conversion and reaction temperature, but increased H-2 selectivity with the appropriate steam-to-glycerol feed ratio. Catalytic results show that LaMnO3 is more active than LaNiO3 in autothermal partial oxidation because of its combustion-prone nature. In contrast, LaNiO3 produced higher H-2 selectivity than LaMnO3 did. A comparative study of LaMnO3 and LaNiO3 in glycerol steam reforming and water-gas shift was performed as well to reveal how these H-2-production reactions proceed in the oxygen-deficient regime of a catalyst bed. The outcomes indicate that LaNiO3 is more active than LaMnO3 in these two reactions, thereby enhancing H-2 selectivity in a partial oxidation system. Moreover, a 24-h lifetime test of these two perovskites was conducted, showing that LaMnO3 has greater durability. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.