Gas-phase dehydration of glycerol to produce acrolein was investigated over commercial catalysts based on gamma-Al2O3, viz. A-64, A-56, I-62, AP-10, AP-56, AP-64 and KR-104. To understand the effect of Cl- anions, HCl-impregnated supports have been investigated in the dehydration reaction of glycerol at 375 degrees C. For comparison, various H-zeolites were also examined. It was found that the glycerol conversion over the solid acid catalysts was strongly dependent on their acidity and surface area. And the relationship between the catalytic activity and the acidity of the catalysts was discussed. The outstanding properties of Pt/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst systems for the dehydration of glycerol were revealed. Pt/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst (AP-64) showed the highest catalytic activity after 50 h of reaction with an acrolein selectivity of 65% at a conversion of glycerol of 90%. Based on these results, catalysts based on gamma-Al2O3 appear to be most promising for gas phase dehydration of glycerol. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.