Carbon black composites (CBCs) have been prepared by pyrolyzing mixture of a carbon black with polyfurfuryl alcohol and then pretreated by oxidation with nitric acid, gasification with water steam or ammoxidation. The effects of the chemical character of the carrier surface, nature of the active metal phase and pH value of the impregnation solution on the catalytic activity towards the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene of the CBC supported Mo (Co) catalysts were determined. It was stated that the catalytic properties of the CBC supported sulfides of Mo or Co and of Mo carbides are affected by the chemical character of the carrier surface. Generally, catalysts supported over basic surface CBC exhibit higher activity than those ones supported over CBC possessing acidic surface character. Co catalysts supported on acidic surface show lower activity (per mol of active metal) than Mo based ones supported on the same carrier. In the case of catalysts supported on basic CBC, Co exhibits distinctly higher activity than Mo. At the experimental conditions adopted for this study, CBC surface properties, active phase nature, and catalyst impregnation pH were found to exert a relatively small influence on both HDS and hydrogenation activities. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.