Vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol, a typical lignin-derived phenolic compound, was studied on Al-MCM-41 supported Ni and Co catalysts at 400 °C and atmospheric pressure. Ni was found as an active metal for ring opening activity while Co favored the deoxygenation activity. Besides benzene and phenol were observed as the major deoxygenation products, the existence of toluene, cresol and other methylated C7-12 products was the result of methyl transfer reaction over the acidic function of support. Co/Al-MCM-41 catalyzed not only HDO to remove oxygen but also transalkylation to prevent the carbon loss via methanization. In addition, coke deposit mainly gathered on the surrounding area of cobalt particles, leading to the faster deactivation in HDO activity than transalykation. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.