In this study, a method for the catalytic conversion of glycerol to methanol in sub-critical water (subCW) is proposed. Glycerol conversion to methanol using the subCW method is a new attempt to the best of the authors's knowledge and this process was compared with the conventional hydrogenolysis method. For the first time, fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) was applied as a novel heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of glycerol to methanol. The sub-critical reaction was conducted under optimal and mild conditions at a reaction temperature of 300 degrees C, reaction time of 30 min, and at a low pressure sufficient to maintain the liquid phase. Initial feedstock (glycerol) concentration and catalyst amount of 20wt% and 0.01 g respectively, were utilized and glycerol conversion and methanol selectivity were measured using gas chromatography-flame ion detector (GC-FID) analysis. Optimum glycerol conversion of similar to 80% was achieved, with methanol as the major product with a selectivity of similar to 100%. The subCW method can also be applied for extraction processes as well as biomass conversion by optimizing some parameters such as reaction time, catalyst amount, reaction temperatures, and catalyst cyclability. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.