Deoxygenation reaction of vegetable oils over a carbon-supported metal catalyst was studied as a suitable reaction for production of diesel-fuel-like hydrocarbons. Stearic acid, ethyl stearate, and tristearine have been used as model compounds. Catalytic treatment of all the three reactants resulted in production of n-heptadecane as the main product with high selectivity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.