This work examines the dehydrogenation of 2-butanol over copper-based catalyst. The effects of support type (MgO and SiO2) and copper loading on methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) yield were studied. The effects of reaction temperature, 2-butanol feed flow rate and catalyst particle size were also investigated. The highest MEK yields were obtained with a 15 wt.% copper on silica catalyst. The optimum catalyst was used to measure the kinetic parameters of the 2-butanol dehydrogenation reaction at temperatures from 190 to 280 degreesC. At higher temperatures catalyst deactivation took place.