The layered double hydroxides (LDH)-derived Ni-Mg-Al-Fe-O catalyst with/without precious metals of Rh, Ir, Ru and Pt was prepared by co-precipitation and impregnation, and tested in catalytic partial oxidation (CPDX) of butanol for fast and variable hydrogen production. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) indicate that the Ni-Mg-Al-Fe-O catalyst without reduction has an induction period up to 8 h at 700 C in the CPDX process because of the slow reduction of Ni species in solid solution of Mg(Ni)O during the CPDX process. With promotion of Rh in Ni-Mg-Al-Fe-O, there was high initial activity near 4.1 mol-H-2/mol-butanol because the reducibility was improved and the Ni species emerged in the beginning and remained stable, suggesting that the Rh-NMAF catalysts can be a promising candidate with high initial activity and stability in CPDX of butanol for hydrogen production, especially for variable hydrogen supply for on-board applications. The Ni-Mg-Al-Fe-O catalyst promoted by Ir, Ru and Pt also showed potential in CPDX of butanol for hydrogen production. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.