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We report the activity and the selectivity of several heterogeneous nickel catalysts for the supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of biomass. The effects of catalyst support on the carbon conversion and hydrogen selectivity were demonstrated using 44 different materials, covering a wide range of chemical and physical properties. At 5% nickel loading, α-Al2O3, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and MgO supports resulted in high carbon conversions, while SiO2, Y2O3, hydrotalcite, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), and TiO2 showed modest activities. Utilization of different γ-Al2O3 supports resulted in a wide range of catalytic activities from almost inactive to highly active. Other catalyst carriers such as zeolites, molecular sieves, CeO2, and ZrO2 had insignificant activity under the conditions tested (i.e., 380 °C, 2 wt% feed). Aside from the catalytic activity, the stable metal oxide supports under the experimental conditions of this …