New technologies ensuring the production of valuable products from renewable raw materials would greatly benefit our society by satisfying the ever-growing needs while reducing environmentally harmful waste and emissions. The present paper reviews the possibilities of microporous and mesoporous materials as catalysts in conversion of biomass-derived raw materials. Proven industrial applications from the refining and petrochemical sector are used as the basis for discussing the potential of new renewable-raw-materials-based processes. The examples of different studies on the applicability of zeolites as catalysts in processes requiring splitting or formation of carbon-carbon bond, isomerization, deoxygenation (including dehydration), etc. are given. The perspectives of the application of zeolites for the valorization of biomass are evaluated and several challenges are generalized, aiming at a better understanding of the relationship between physical and chemical properties of microporous materials and their behavior in the transformation of biomass-derived feedstocks. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.