Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis was carried out for upgrading of Athabasca bitumen. The bitumen can be heated to the desired target temperature (430 degrees C) for pyrolysis with silicon carbide (SiC), a heating element, in approximately 10 min under microwave irradiation. However, the pyrolysis with SiC only resulted in heavy and viscous liquid product having an API gravity of 17.14 degrees. Addition of Nickel and Molybdenum nanoparticles as catalysts enhanced the pyrolysis performance in terms of liquid yield and quality. In the pyrolysis with Mo nanoparticles, the yield and the API gravity of the liquid product were 72.0 wt% and 20.98 degrees, respectively. However, the separate existence of nanoparticles and SiC in the reactor and the recovery problem of nanoparticles, might limit their application in microwave-assisted pyrolysis. In order to prepare a composite with microwave susceptibility and catalytic activity in one body, transition metals were loaded on alumina coated SiC. When it is compared to the direct application of metal nanoparticles to the pyrolysis of bitumen, the NiMo/Al2O3/SiC catalyst showed enhanced catalytic performance. The API gravity and sulfur contents of the liquid products from the pyrolysis with NiMo/Al2O3/SiC were 22.42 degrees and 2.84 wt%, respectively. (C) 2012 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.