Bimetallic Ru-Re/SiO(2) and monometallic Ru/SiO(2) catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and their catalytic performances were evaluated in the hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols (1,2-propanediol and 1,3-propanediol) with a batch type reactor (autoclave) under the reaction conditions of 160 C, 8.0 MPa and 8 h. Ru-Re/SiO(2) showed Much higher activity in the hydrogenolysis of glycerol than Ru/SiO(2), and the pretreatment conditions of the catalyst precursors had great influence on the catalytic performance of both Ru-Re/SiO(2) and Ru/SiO(2) catalysts. The physicochemical properties of Ru-Re/SiO(2) and Ru/SiO(2), Such as specific Surface areas, crystal phases, morphologies/microstructures, Surface element states, reduction behaviors and dispersion of Ru metal, were characterized by N(2) adsorption/desorption, XRD. Raman,TEM-EDX. XPS, H(2)-TPR and CO chemisorption. The results of XRD, TEM-EDX and CO chemisorption characterizations showed that Re component had an effect on promoting the dispersion of Ru species on the surface of SiO(2), and the measurements of H(2)-TPR revealed that the co-existence of Re and Ru components SiO(2) changed the respective reduction behavior of Re or Ru alone High pre-reduction temperatures would decrease the activities of Ru-Re/SiO(2) and Ru/SiO(2) catalysts, compared with the corresponding calcined catalysts (without pre-reduction), which actually went through an in-situ reduction during the reaction. XPS analysis indicated that Ru species was in Run metal state, while Re species was mostly in Re oxide state in the spent Ru-RC/SiO(2) sample Re component was probably in rhenium oxide state rather than Reo metal state to take part in the reaction via interaction with Ru(0) metal. (C) 2009 Elsevier B V. All rights reserved