Mesoporous TiO2, ZrO2 and ZrO2-TiO2 mixed oxides were synthesized by the sol-gel method and the Au/TiO2, Au/ZrO2 and Au/ZrO2-TiO2 catalysts were prepared by deposition-precipitation method using urea solution as a precipitating agent. These materials were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and in situ FTIR-pyridine (FTIR-Py) adsorption. XRD patterns of the samples confirmed the formation of ZrTiO4 phase in the ZrO2-TiO2 mixed oxides. TEM micrographs showed that nanosized gold particles on the catalyst had an average diameter smaller than 5 nm. Metallic gold (Au-0) and oxidized Au species (Au-n(delta+)) on the surface of the catalysts were evidenced by UV-vis and XPS characterization. In the partial oxidation of methanol (POM) reaction, among the six catalysts, the high metallic Au-0/Au+ ratio and low surface acidity in the Au/ZrO2 catalysts are chiefly responsible for the highest hydrogen production rate in the whole temperature range between 210 and 300 degrees C. Methanol decomposition as secondary reaction was favored on TiO2-based catalysts at higher temperature, producing a large amount of CO. Formation of ZrO2-TiO2 solid solution resulted in generation of both Bronsted and Lewis acid sites; as a result, dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol was allowed over Au/ZrO2-TiO2 catalysts. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.