The influence of an acidic (SiO2), basic (Al2O3) and mixture of acidic and basic (Al2O3: SiO2) catalyst on the pyrolysis of used tyre rubber has been investigated. The yield of the derived gas, liquid and solid has been studied in term of the temperature, time and amount of catalyst. Oil fractions were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy and gas chromatography with FID. Oil derived with Al2O3 containing higher concentration of polar hydrocarbons (40%) and lower concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons while 40% aliphatic hydrocarbons and 30% polar hydrocarbons were found in oil derived with SiO2. A mixture of catalyst (Al2O3: SiO2) gave equal concentration of aliphatic (35%) and polar (35%) hydrocarbons in oil. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.