Vapor phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene is reported on 1 wt.% Pd supported on hydrotalcite, MgO and γ-Al2O3 catalysts. The catalysts were prepared in the laboratory using a wet impregnation method and were characterized by XRD, BET surface area, TPR, TEM, XPS and CO chemisorption studies. The conversion of nitrobenzene was studied in the temperature region of 498-573 K and compared on all the catalysts. An impressive catalytic performance of nitrobenzene conversion was observed on hydrotalcite supported Pd catalyst. CO chemisorption and TEM results prove that palladium disperses better on hydrotalcite supports when compared with other conventional supports such as MgO and γ-Al2O3, which is responsible for the high conversion of nitrobenzene. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.